A Blessing and A Curse
by Quetzal1
Summary: G1 post animated movie. A freshly minted Decepticon learns that a whole lot can change while you're stuck in stasis and maybe stasis was the better option.
1. Chapter 1 World of Hurt

Author's Note: For those who don't know, this story can stand on its own but it's a continuation of Come Around joined with No Easy Answers. There might be a reference here and there you won't get without having read them, but it's not that big of a deal. You can get by without it. This one is going to be a lot more grim and dark in general. Angst out the wazoo, if you like that kind of stuff. Also this will be done on a much looser schedule. I'll try not to go any longer than 3 weeks between new chapters though. Enjoy and by all means feel free to leave comments. Transformers belong to Hasbro and Takara.

xxx

A Blessing and A Curse  
By: Quetzal1

Chapter 1  
World of Hurt

xxx

**Somewhere in South Dakota.**

Like a lot of people, she had always suspected it, but never really, truly _believed _in her heart that she would go to hell for what she had done. Those days were over now. The creature dwelling in the darkness far beneath the ground in the old silo that once served as a field headquarters was unrecognizable. The events being inflicted were the first of their kind.

The thing that used to be Erica J. Dawes, erstwhile Decepticon ally, was wishing for death that would not come. She was blind, deaf, immobilized and in indescribable pain. She could not move but she could scream. Her voice tore into the darkness over and over at pitches and lengths that she would have been incapable of otherwise…for all the good it did. She no longer had a sense of time passing. There was just the now and the constant feeling of burning and being torn apart. The only consolation was that she could not see what must have been demons or possibly the devil himself administering the torture. The nanites, which were the true cause of this suffering, were only acting in her best interests. They did not think in the same fashion as truly sentient beings but they knew what they were doing. It was unfortunate that this particular undertaking would last so long, but they did not operate on anyone's timetable but their own.

The destroyed silo might have gained a reputation for being haunted if anyone had been around to hear the tortured shrieks. Was it possible to go insane from this kind of agony? She did not know but was certain it would happen. The pain did not lessen but the screams were silenced after the nanites created a sort of pod. The gelatinous substance encased its subject. The processor had been maintained with no loss of content and rudimentary support systems had formed to sustain life while the nanites constructed a sub-frame to carry everything else that was coming. Now would begin the work of creating true systems and subsystems as well as the outer casing, a task that would be lengthy. For this the subject needed to be mercifully put off line for a while.

**The Rooftop of Darkmount, Cybertron.**

Skywarp could survey a great portion of Polyhex from his lofty perch. They had left Earth a while ago, but it didn't feel like so long to him. It was a wonderful thing to soar through the skies of his home planet again, to swoop and race among the tall spires of various buildings all without being shot at. The rooftop of the forbidding stronghold was the place he liked to go to think sometimes, or just get away from everyone else. He sat there on a ledge with his legs dangling over the side, swinging them back and forth a little as he thought. Things were going kind of slow but ever forward. The planet was gradually being restored. The main focus was on defense for the time being. There was no way the Autobots would just roll over and let them have Cybertron without some kind of fight. It would be a while before that fight happened though, probably.

The quiet was disturbed by another seeker approaching from behind at a great rate of speed. About 3 seconds later, Thundercracker passed above, no more than a couple of feet over his head. Such shenanigans were usually unlike him but he'd been pretty jubilant since they got back. The blue jet banked sharply and came back toward him before transforming and landing heavily.

"Watch out. You're going to go right through the roof doing that," Skywarp said.

Thundercracker grinned. Usually it was him that had to do the gentle admonishing. "What are you worried about, Sunshine?" He asked.

"Nothing. I'm just saying."

The mech walked over and sat on the ledge beside his gloomy friend.

"Maybe you ought to start hanging out with Dirge and Deadend," and then after a brief pause, "'Warp, you've got to snap out of this."

"I'm fine."

"You are not. You're still blaming yourself. I can tell."

"I just keep thinking there was something I could have done."

"There wasn't."

"How do you know?"

"Because I know. You've been in this war for how long now? Erica knew the risks and accepted them like the rest of us. Be proud of that. And you actually talked Megatron into letting you put a cenotaph in the Decepticon crypt, which I still can hardly believe, by the way."

"What, that I did it or he allowed it?"

"That you had the struts to ask at all."

"Yeah, well it's just a little plaque and he made me put it in a side hall away from everyone else."

"I was there, remember? And you had to know there's no way in the Pit he'd stand for honoring a human the same as one of us."

"I guess not."

They sat there side by side for a while in silence before Thundercracker put a friendly hand gently on his wingmate's shoulder.

"Let it go, Warp. You have to get on with your life."

"Yeah."

"Come on. We have an assignment that'll take your mind off of it," he said, getting to his feet and balancing carefully on the ledge with both arms out for added stability.

"What?"

"Megatron wants an aerial survey of Chaar to see if it'd be a good spot for an outpost."

"Chaar? That dump?"

"Yes. I can't imagine it either, but that's the job. Let's go. I'll race you." And then the mech leapt up and transformed, throttling up to top speed almost instantly. Skywarp followed, teleporting to make up the distance he was already behind.

The cocoon like encasement was beginning to dry out and crack open. The occupant was unaware of any of it but that would soon change. The first sense to return was sound. It was dead silent below the ground initially and so at first it wasn't obvious that hearing was restored. But then the slightest movement brought a rustling, cracking sound reminiscent of dried out corn husks. Movement? The being suddenly realized that, yes she could move a little and it did not hurt. The pain was gone but she felt weird. There was a sense of touch but it wasn't what she was used to. It was muted somehow. Blackness still surrounded her but then that too was banished in an unexpected way. When the optics suddenly activated, it startled her. It was very much like watching a television come on, only faster. The only things visible at first were indicators of her condition and those were blinking an angry, warning red. These were located more in her peripheral vision. And then she could see. It was like night vision goggles only much, much better. What was that right in front of her face?

The movement required to reach up busted the cocoon open and she could see all around her. Memory identified it as the silo after a brief pause. What happened?

_There's no time. Get to the surface!_ A familiar voice whispered in her mind. She knew it but could not name it just yet. She felt slow and stupid as though heavily sedated.

The red status indicators warned that system shutdown was imminent. Only the most basic of functions were still operable. Why the surface? It didn't matter. The nanites had done all they could with what they had. The low voltage power supply was nearly depleted. A recharge from some other kind of source was required.

The doors for the silo and the secret entrance were just in the next room. She carefully got to her feet with a lot of metallic scraping sounds. What had happened to her? She was too out of it for the vast changes to really register. It was like being in a dream or hypnotized. And her vision was not clear enough to tell much by looking at what parts of herself she could see. A few steps were all that were managed before falling to the floor with a loud crash. Power was going to fail very soon. All the torture would have been for nothing. She slowly pulled herself across the floor and into the next room. It was painfully obvious that the silo doors were not an option. The whole thing was caved in and destroyed. The secret entrance was much too far for her to make it now. Damn. Her vision found one little bright spot, literally. The debris had fallen in just such a way that a tiny shaft of sunlight broke through and shone on the floor. It was no bigger in diameter than a dime.

_There! Get to the light! Hurry!_ The voice in her head said again. What the fuck? What would that do? With the last bits of her failing energy she managed to get to the spot. Other systems began to shut down as she entered stasis. Unbeknownst to this being, a default of stasis unique to her was that several covers slid back to reveal solar panels of a sort. The nanites had picked the idea from her mind and then improved them with their own knowledge. With enough time, she would even be able to recharge with just starlight. Unfortunately the miniscule amount of sunshine was not constant. As the planet revolved the light would come and go. It was, however, enough to keep her alive but not enough to come out of stasis.

**Years later.**

The rest of his grand ambition was about to come to fruition. The destruction of the Autobots was at hand. The ship was under their control and littered with the wreckage of his deactivated enemies. The last to be destroyed was Ironhide. He had been a thorn in their sides for almost ever but not anymore. Megatron was about as excited as he ever showed. Next they would infiltrate Autobot City on Earth and slaughter each and every last inhabitant right down to the humans.

The view screen showed the wretched blue and white planet growing larger as they gradually began reentry to its atmosphere. The mech considered decimating the entire place just for all the trouble it had caused him. But that would be wasteful. First they would drain every bit of energy THEN they would destroy it.

Going home to Cybertron renewed the fighting spirit of his warriors. All of them were focused on their assigned tasks. Megatron looked particularly hard at Starscream who was busy monitoring the engine readouts. That vile, contemptible traitor. He had been behaving himself for an awfully long time, so it was highly likely that he was up to something. Perhaps when all the Autobots had been rendered into so much junk, he would take his Air Commander and do likewise to him. The seeker was good at what he did, but he was not irreplaceable. Given time, either Thundercracker or one of the others could take his place. Even Skywarp might manage it now that he had stopped mourning the human and was back to normal. They were loyal and with no Autobots left, there would be no more serious threats. For now though, allowing Starscream to remain functional was a necessary evil. These thoughts were interrupted by the sight of Autobot City coming into view.

"Prepare yourselves," he said to the other mechs. "We stand on the brink of ultimate triumph!" Shortly after this, the entire ship pitched hard to one side as it was struck by laserfire.

xxx

The ensuing battle lasted the rest of that day, through the night and into the next day. For some of the citizenry living in the Great Plains region of the United States, the second day was notable for reasons that had nothing do with the fighting.

It was a record tornado outbreak. All along a dry line stretching up and down the Midwest there was destruction and many deaths. Though many people would not believe it, they were actually fortunate. The biggest of the twisters remained far away from populated areas. Or rather, areas populated by humans. A gargantuan f-5 tornado made contract with the ground and began a path that meandered across a large portion of northwest South Dakota. It encountered no towns but it did find some abandoned farmsteads, trees and what looked to be an area of fenced in rubble. The tall fence was topped with razor wire and was in place to keep anyone from snooping about and possibly being killed by hidden booby traps, but that was no deterrent to the weather. The fence was ripped away as though made of string. The big pile of twisted metal and smashed concrete was also affected. One or two big concrete chunks were easily tossed away and the entire mound was shifted over and down before the deadly wind wandered away, taking with it some sheets of tin from a rusty shed that was riddled with holes from some gunfire. It would be years before the pieces were found wedged partway into trees and the ground like giant blades.

The next day featured cloudless blue skies. Residents of the affected areas began to gather the pieces of their lives and decide on what to do. At the ruined silo, life was about to begin again. In rearranging the debris, the storm allowed the sunshine to penetrate far below ground in a large beam. A beam that fell upon exposed solar panels and began to create a substantial charge.

**Deep Space.**

Skywarp could not believe what he was hearing. Throw out the injured to eliminate weight? He knew Starscream's ambitions, of course, but never really believed that it would mean his own life.

xxx

The battle was almost won, but then there was another wave of Autobots. Somehow the ones on Earth had managed to contact their fellows and then it got ugly. It was a day full of things that he never really expected to see. The main thing was the destruction of the much vaunted Optimus Prime, but maybe even more shocking was the damage done to their leader. Skywarp could tell Megatron wasn't dead yet but he had been unable to get back to Astrotrain on his own and was slumped against a wall saying nothing. Energon and internal repair fluid were leaking out at an alarming rate. Nearby, Thundercracker had not fared much better. There were also several badly damaged Insecticons, or maybe they were just clones, he couldn't tell. Internal systems were failing one by one. He could feel his strength starting to ebb. All of his leaks must have been internal since his exterior didn't look too bad. Oddly, he could feel a slight tickle. It was not unfamiliar and at times was sort of comforting. It was his good luck charm still dangling from a control lever. The four leaf clover was swinging wildly as Skywarp struggled to stay on his feet. In the corner of his vision the gray and purple mech could see the warning indicators flashing urgently, but there was nothing he could do and none of the others seemed interested in helping the wounded.

xxx

Starscream actually went through the pretense of putting the matter to a vote, though he never once made optic contact with either of his former comrades. The dying and wounded were easily outnumbered. Thundercracker gave Skywarp a look of pure desperation. He could not speak and his direct communication link would not produce anything but static. The blue mech was still strong enough to stand but the strength that had carried him through so many times in the past was rapidly deserting him.

And then the healthier members of the faction fell upon the wounded and unceremoniously forced them out into the void. Skywarp tried to look stronger than he felt but was too weak to struggle when he was pushed back toward the open door and there was no one to help him. He saw that his best friend had been ejected just ahead of him. His optics snapped to static for a few seconds. When it cleared he was adrift in space. Thundercracker was beside him and it soon became apparent that even if it still worked, trying to contact him via direct communication link was pointless. His best friend was dead. A few minutes after that, Skywarp's luck finally ran out as his optics faded from a dim red to black as he followed to whatever awaited the deactivated.

Thousands of miles away, and at nearly the same instant, new optics illuminated and began to look at the world as though seeing it for the first time.


	2. The Voice of Reason

Author's note: You guys know what lines came from the movie without my having to point them out. Just like the last story, it took a while to get things established. I promise this one really gets going in chapter 3. Enjoy and feel free to comment. Transformers belong to Hasbro and Takara, etc.

A Blessing and a Curse  
By: Quetzal1

Chapter 2  
The Voice of Reason

XxXxX

Thoughts were processing a little slower than they would eventually, but that was a common effect of being in stasis for an extended period. Seeing things night vision goggle style took a little while to adjust to. Without thinking, she tried to rub what used to be eyes and was startled when her hand touched her face with a loud 'CLANK' that echoed in the confined space. What in the hell had happened to her? The being laid there listening to the minute whirring sounds her hand made as it flexed over and over while she watched it with the fixation of someone on an acid trip. This had to be some kind of hallucination…didn't it?

In seconds the last hours of her human life returned to her memory. She had been shot and then poor, beleaguered Shadow brought her back here. Somehow she got down to the command center and then... And then it was mostly blank. She recalled warning Megatron and his offering to put her out of her misery. Then she'd asked him to stick around so she wouldn't die alone and also to relay a message to Skywarp and then nothing. Erica had been bleeding profusely and there was nothing to be done. She should have died. Maybe she did? That didn't make sense though, because she was still here.

She sat up and then got to her feet and promptly whacked her head against a steel beam that was angled sharply downward under the weight of the debris.

"Ow, damn it!" She grumbled. Her head hit with the same force as a low speed car crash but it didn't hurt any more than a little bump. As she sat there rubbing the injury a new realization dawned: she was huge! That fallen beam should have been well out of her reach. To confirm the assessment, she went unsteadily over to the communication and control console which was still mostly intact and discovered that all the controls were within easy reach. The monitor was large but it was no longer like being at the drive-in the way it used to seem. To further illustrate the point, there was an old office chair in the corner that she had brought into the room one night long ago. It was dinky.

It was a lot to take in and she sat down on the floor again to consider it further. She wasn't in pain, but still didn't feel that strong and thinking was taking quite a bit of effort. What, oh what the fuck did they do to her? She was looking at her hands again. How could this have happened? Nothing seemed plausible. Did they put her mind into a robot body? She knew it had been attempted once as an emergency measure on that Spike kid, but it had made him unstable. That couldn't be it. There had been no time or equipment for such a transference. And if they had somehow managed it, why was she back here? Either way, she had survived. Just how long had she been down here, anyway?

Olfactory sensors detected a damp, nasty basement smell. Before it was a little musty but not like this. As she gradually became more cognizant of her surroundings the darkness began to give her the creeps. Whatever she was, her imagination seemed to work fine. Perhaps there were clues to the cause of this situation outside. Her struggling mind grasped this idea fervently. Yes, outside, that's the ticket. In the open where there was nowhere for anything to hide. Wonderful.

XxXxXxXxX

Megatron would have been delighted if his predicament were only imaginary. The once most feared of all Decepticons was in excruciating pain from his wounds but was making a heroic effort not to betray this weakness to the thing calling itself Unicron. Pure, undiluted rage was threatening to burn out what circuitry still functioned. How dare this…whatever it was, speak to him in such a manner! He was summoned by no one, and was certainly no one's possession. The planet sized being was offering him a new body and troops in exchange for destruction of the Autobots' matrix of leadership and with the assumption of becoming its property. The idea was sickening.

"I BELONG TO NOBODY!" The tyrant shouted. If only he wasn't so damaged and low on power. Were the fusion cannon at full strength he would blast this abomination to subatomic particles. But it wasn't. He was totally without help. The remains of Thundercracker, Skywarp and several Insecticons drifted nearby, but they were obviously dead. The effort of this confrontation was making him steadily weaker. His internal diagnostics were trying exceedingly hard but there simply wasn't enough time or power to undo the damage. The refusal brought no outburst from this new enemy.

"Perhaps I misjudged you. Proceed on your way to oblivion," it said with no more concern than if Megatron had asked for the time of day.

Crimson beams caught the mech and he could feel what remained of him begin to fail and come apart. This could not be his fate! His destiny was to conquer the universe not to be destroyed, alone and abandoned only Primus knew where in space. Even facing annihilation, he was not afraid but instead was feeling an overwhelming, frustrating, helpless fury. As he struggled futilely in the grip of the beams, some of his own advice surfaced from memory.

"There are things more important than your pride," he had once said. That was certainly true in this case. And so, for the first time ever in his long life, he was forced to do something that hurt more than all his wounds combined: he humbled himself to an enemy.

"NO! I ACCEPT YOUR TERMS! I ACCEPT!" He cried out, hating the weakness in his voice and fearing it was already too late.

"Excellent," Unicron said as the beam changed from red to green. It said nothing more as the reformatting process began.

Megatron could feel himself changing but his mind remained intact. That had been his biggest worry, that his processors would be wiped clean and he would be nothing but a highly functioning drone. The process did not take long but he knew partway through it that something was off.

"Behold: Galvatron," Unicron announced.

Galvatron? No one said anything about a name change. Of all the unmitigated gall! And if he'd been organic, the mech would have nearly choked when he caught a glimpse of himself reflected in a shiny surface. This was not what he agreed to when he accepted the offer of a new body. He thought he would just be a remade, undamaged version of his usual self. But, no. He was sporting this ridiculous color scheme and there were several changes in his armor and the worst of all was the redesign of the fusion cannon. His trademark weapon was now orange and cigar shaped. Fresh rage raced through his circuits. This was unacceptable! This was…wait just a moment. After a few seconds he began to get a sense of the extent of his new power. There was so much more than before. He remained silent, waiting to see what else would happen but seething all the while.

"And these shall be your minions."

Thundercracker was rendered into a sinister winged figure: Scourge, the tracker, and the Insecticons were made into mechs similar in appearance to the former seeker, his huntsmen, the Sweeps. The reformatting of Skywarp's remains yielded an immense mech with a fierce expression: Cyclonus, the warrior.

A ship was produced and their orders were given: Find the Autobot matrix of leadership and destroy it. The newly christened Galvatron promised to rip apart every Autobot until he was successful, but it was a lie. His processors were working furiously. He would co-operate for now, but make no mistake, at the first opportunity he would exact a horrible vengeance on this Unicron and get back his old body as well. For now, though, he would settle for inflicting a whole lot of pain upon the initial cause of this situation.

"To Cybertron," he commanded, and was pleased to see that there were no questions, only immediate obedience.

XxXxXxXxX

The full moon rose in the east and glinted off the metallic surfaces of the new being sitting out in a field a good distance away from any human construct. She was feeling kind of tired and was surprised to see the surface of her metal skin slide back in spots to reveal what looked to her like solar panels. Evidently any kind of light would work. This was not something a protoform did. As far as she knew, no Decepticon did this. She had once wondered why they hadn't developed some kind of upgrade to make recharging easier and here it was. The instrumentation indicating charge strength gradually began to creep upward while she sat there contemplating her fate. So far, nothing had been easy, and for a several moments she was convinced that she was crazy, but now things were just at dead ends.

XxXxX

The silo doors that once opened outward to allow the launch of an atlas missile were obviously destroyed and the whole area was full of rubble. She would not get out that way. Ah, but there was still the secret entrance/escape route. The door had opened easily and her optics segued from a night vision view to something akin to radar. The tunnel was wide open so far. Unfortunately, after going many yards, it became blocked. The crash of Shadow and then the destruction of the silo coupled with the short battle that took place managed to cause a cave in.

"Shit," the being muttered quietly. Her voice was different too. It was a little lower and kind of husky.

Clearing the tunnel took longer than she thought it would, but that was all right since having something to focus on eased the mind slightly. She worked laboriously to clear out the tunnel and rig some half assed supports to hopefully prevent it from happening again. All the dirt had been dumped down the hole where she had once explored and came out with the spider. Hah! She no longer had to be repulsed by them. Even the largest and hairiest of them all would be like a fly to her now. Yes, it was weird to be certain, but perhaps this new body would be okay. It beat being dead. And what did it look like? It was dark and there were no mirrors or any shiny surfaces even if there had been light. One thing was certain, it wasn't very strong for that long at a time. Rest breaks were becoming more frequent the longer the job took.

The tunnel ended at another door, this time in the ceiling. There was a button to activate it, but that was surely nonfunctioning. After cranking the door open, she emerged from the dark tunnel and into the fading light of a late spring evening. Her optics easily changed from the radar view to a normal setting that was years in advance of high definition. Vision was unbelievably sharp, and as though trying to impress it suddenly zoomed in on a small group of deer miles away that were undetectable otherwise. She hung from the ladder with just her head above ground marveling at the sights for a few minutes before continuing.

Outside was not that different from what she remembered, but it was obvious much time had passed. The shed was still there, sort of. Many of the big sheets of corrugated tin that made up its roof and sides were gone and what remained was full of holes. The ground was marked with craters that had filled in with grass over the years. A fight had definitely taken place. It looked like there used to be a fence too, but it was gone. Some of the tall posts still in place were bent at peculiar angles and one was leaned over, exposing part of the concrete that held it up. The damage appeared recent. She continued to wander, eventually coming to a spot over which weeds had grown but it was littered with pieces of aircraft. Poor dead Shadow hadn't even got a decent burial. That would have to be remedied and burial would be the best she could do since there was no Decepticon crypt on Earth. Off to the side of this area was a shallow depression in the ground that was full of standing water from the storm. Still water made an excellent mirror.

She didn't know what to expect but it wasn't what she saw. Her body was still rather humanoid and was covered with various plates and sections of sheet metal. It did not appear that she could transform into anything. It was enormously disappointing until her memory processors reminded her of a discussion she and Skywarp had regarding where new transformers came from. The reflection in the huge puddle looked sort of like what the mech called a protoform. Newly created sparks were placed into protoforms and the personality of a preexisting mech could be uploaded into one as well. In the case of new sparks, primary programming came next and then evolution into the final form with alt mode. But what she was seeing differed from the description. She should still be covered with a kind of semi-liquid metal skin not armor, not yet.

Though she didn't know it, her appearance was the result of confusion. The nanites had recognized what they thought was programming, and had gone on to try and create a final form and alt mode. The problem, in addition to running out of power, was the conflicting spark energies and information.

There were spark traces from a seeker and then there was another that suggested a living weapon. Which was the proper format? As a human, Erica had absorbed a high amount of energy from Thundercracker. When he had nearly met with destruction, she had unwittingly stood within inches of his cracked spark containment housing for a very long time performing damage control. On a separate occasion after an incident with something called the Heart of Cybertron, she had been accidentally zapped with Megatron's spark energy while looking for signs of sabotage to his internal workings. These incidents, combined with being scanned countless times and prolonged exposure to energon had created mutations that would have killed her eventually. As raw material for the nanites they had helped to determine what she would eventually become. Until they became confused. There was more seeker energy but the weapon energy was stronger.

So if she was remembering it correctly, this process was not yet finished. Hopefully whatever else that was going to happen wouldn't hurt like earlier. One thing was certain, despite all the changes thus far, it was obvious that she was still a chick. No, what she was, was a _femme._ That was the word they used. Evidently it was purely cosmetic. According to Skywarp, mechanically, mechs and femmes were alike on the inside except for whatever one had to make their alt mode possible, in addition to special weapons and abilities.

As she stood there contemplating it all, her audio receptors picked up a low buzzing sound that began to get steadily louder. It didn't really register because she was too absorbed and overwhelmed to pay any attention to it.

_**Get out of sight, dumbass! NOW! **_A voice rasped in irritated fashion. There was no mistaking it. It had directed her to get to the surface and then to the small ray of sunlight years ago but she had been too out of it to really notice or remember then.

She turned and ran awkwardly for the remains of the shed. Just as she got inside the hiding place the drone grew to a roar and a fast, but stubby looking aircraft streaked by overhead. It was a crop dusting plane. The femme watched it climb and recede into the distance with a twinge of jealousy she didn't even perceive. It did not escape the notice of the nanites, however, which were in a monitoring phase as they determined what to do next. She had bigger worries now.

She could hear the voice of Megatron in her head as though he were right there. It wasn't the computer and it wasn't a direct communication link. The voice didn't answer her when she tried to speak to it. He only seemed to say something when it was absolutely necessary, when swift, decisive action needed to be taken or when she just needed to cut out the bullshit. Being comforting was not his specialty. It was like the little voice inside that everyone had except that it didn't sound like her. Well, it seemed harmless so far. He wasn't telling her to do bad things or anything like that. It was also sort of entertaining to hear it use human swears. The real thing seldom cursed and when he did it was never a human version. And it could be worse. At least it wasn't Starscream.

XxXxXxXxX

Soundwave could not recall having ever witnessed a more ostentatious ceremony before. All of them were standing around the Hall of Heroes waiting for it to be over. Even the statues of long gone leaders looked annoyed by it all. The Constructicons were blaring out a fanfare of some kind on bugles while at the top of a long staircase, Blitzwing waited to crown their new leader. The usually detached mech was beginning to regret his complicity in getting rid of the other Decepticons.

The music was going on an on and finally Starscream snapped and blasted the horns, effectively silencing them. He had waited so long for this moment, wanting simultaneously for it to never end and to get started on his reign. He had dreamt of this and now it was all coming true at long last. It wasn't perfect. He had only jettisoned Megatron into space to die. In his often-visited fantasy, he had hurt and humiliated him first, forcing him to beg for his life and grovel properly before his new master. It was unfortunate, but this would do nicely.

The crown was placed on his head and he stood proudly to address his legions.

"My fellow Decepticons, as your new leader I…." The roar of engines drowned the rest out. Some sort of spacecraft was descending and approaching fast. None of them had seen it before and they all scattered and ran to get out of the way.

Starscream was livid. How dare these slaggers interrupt his ceremony! The craft ejected a passenger and then transformed to join it at the bottom of the staircase that led to the throne. The fact that he had never seen either of these mechs did not direct him to use any caution whatsoever. The passenger did look a little familiar though. Never mind that. He was leader now and they would answer for this.

"Who dares to interrupt my coronation?" He screeched at them. Blitzwing and Ramjet had already done a fade. He was alone as he regally glared down at the interlopers. That big one looked like he couldn't care less and the other spoke up.

"Coronation, Starscream? This is bad comedy," he said. That voice was kind of familiar too, and with dawning terror he knew why.

"Megatron, is that you?" He asked, already beginning to sound repentant.

The purple mech smirked at him before replying: "Here's a hint!" And then he began to reveal his alt form.

Starscream was expecting him to become a weapon of some sort and be fired by the big quiet 'bot. He was wrong but not by much. Whoever he was, became a cannon mounted on a series of tank treads and quickly, so very quickly. He wasted no time on words and fired a blast of such intensity and accuracy that the seeker was incinerated from the inside out. He had wanted his reign to be one of distinction, and it was. It had the distinction of being the shortest ever. There wasn't time to feel a large amount of pain. The world went white and he knew no more as he became ash in the wind.

XxXxXxXxX

The night was long but eventually came to an end. The moonlight had rendered a full charge but she was still feeling awfully run down. The panels slid back down to protect the light cells. She did not want to go back to the silo. It was dark and nasty and creepy. She was also afraid of descending back into stasis or worse, undergoing changes that brought back the pain. She had had quite enough of _that_ shit for a while, thank you very much.

_**You can't stay out here. The risk of being seen is too great.**_

There was no one around for miles. Who would see anything?

_**Given your luck, another crop duster could come along. And remember that you are in a very vulnerable position. You are weak, can't fly and are unarmed. Do you really feel like taking on the army?**_

All right, fine. Maybe she could find something down there to keep her busy.

_**Wise decision.**_

Shut up.


	3. Into the Wind

Author's Note: There will be more notes at the end if you're interested. I couldn't put them here without giving things away. Transformers belong to Hasbro and Takara. Enjoy and feel free to comment.

A Blessing and A Curse  
By Quetzal1

Chapter 3  
Into the Wind

xxxx

The abandoned base wasn't hopelessly damaged. The lone femme had decided to see what could be done to make the place tolerable and in doing so had recalled a backup generator installed by the ever efficient Constructicons that was still functional enough to power some lights and the computer. The computer itself had also required a little work. The transmitter portion was beyond repair, but the receiver was okay, once a few minor repairs were made. With a couple of adjustments and luck she was able to tap into a Direct TV feed. It was a connection to the outside world and a poor kind of company. She needed a little companionship of some kind. As long as she didn't contemplate anything risky the only voice in her head was hers.

She had cleaned things up and carefully marked where the sunlight came in through the remnants of the main doors. There was no question of resting anywhere but there when she felt the need to be off line for a little bit. It was a need she fought as hard as possible, for fear of not waking again. If only she didn't require energon. A small stash of that had been discovered in a side room. There had been several of the normal pink cubes and three of the compressed, concentrated ones. She used as little as could be gotten by with and that was enough to get her slightly tipsy and unable to fight going off line. The nanites did what they could with the time they had gradually building more subsystems and connections for them. Any attempt at stasis somehow awakened their owner and meant several days before they could do anything else. But in their own way, they knew that they only had to remain patient. Sooner or later she would wear herself down enough to be unable to oppose them any longer. One good thing had come from her persistent resistance to the natural process: they had finally reached a consensus with the conflicting energies and information and decided on a design and alt mode. Television helped with the latter.

xxxx

On a nightly basis she would sit outside and think. Being forced to hide underground all day was tiresome, but there wasn't anything to be done about it. Some nights, when there was nothing good on, she would stay out until almost sunrise.

The moon had been full several times since she first came back to the world of the living. No one had come to the silo for years and it was unlikely anyone would now. There wasn't all that much helpful information on the news. There was something about attacks on a place called Autobot City, which she had never heard of. They must have really lied like crazy to get to establish an entire city. And it cheered her to know there were still Decepticons. When they showed some grainy file video of the attack, she always watched for anyone familiar. The first attack, which had happened not so long ago, lasted for days and she was pretty sure she could make out all the seekers she knew. The video had been shot from a long distance so it was hard to be certain. Devastator was in attendance and there was definitely an appearance, albeit brief by a white and silver mech. The next attack had several participants she hadn't seen before and was missing some of the regulars. It wasn't worrisome. Megatron had told her that once they reclaimed Cybertron there would be some 'bots she hadn't met who had either remained on their planet or had gone off to colonize. Those guys would probably be sent and the others could get little break or strike somewhere else.

Staying awake for days at a time gave one a great deal of time to think and wonder. Once the satellite signal was coming in clearly, she was shocked to discover she'd been out of commission for years. It wasn't hard to figure out that no one knew she was here. Everyone must think she was dead. That part made sense. The rest of it remained a confusing mystery. The new body was taking some getting used to, but it didn't upset her like it might someone who hadn't spent years among the living machines. These days, she didn't live all that differently from a lot of humans. If she wasn't outside or trying to make some improvement inside, she was parked in front of the TV. It was better than constantly thinking about the future.

XxXxXxXxX

Cyclonus was in a foul mood and thoroughly disgusted. As he, Scourge and the Sweeps had approached the surface of Chaar, they encountered a group of Decepticons fighting over a couple of energon cubes. He wasn't sure what to do, but the sight of once feared warriors in such a pathetic position finally put him at the end of his considerable patience.

With no leader, how far would they deteriorate before they could stage a recovery? And was recovery even possible? In what felt like no time they had been driven from Cybertron, and even worse, had lost their leader. He and Scourge had searched all over but had been unable to find any trace of Galvatron. Their master had gone off with the matrix to face Unicron on his own. He was indestructible, or so they had thought, and neither of them quite dared to voice their concerns. Truthfully, they didn't have any real concerns. The matrix was the only thing that could destroy Unicron and they possessed it. The monster would be destroyed and then the remaining Autobots. They would be victorious once and for all.

But something had gone terribly wrong. They had waited and waited and Galvatron did not summon them. Reluctantly the decision was made to look for him. It was a surprise when they encountered the head of Unicron orbiting Cybertron. So their leader was successful. They should have expected nothing less. Unfortunately for them they entered the planet's orbit and immediately the defenses were unleashed upon them, and then was augmented by a party of Autobots. Where were the Decepticons? It was confusion and chaos and they were forced to retreat. The logical place to look for their surviving comrades would be that which was closest. Chaar was nothing but a burned out disaster area but it was nearby. And there they were. They were a dispirited lot. Cyclonus tried to rouse their combative nature to no avail. He refused to believe that Galvatron was destroyed. It was unthinkable. None of the others knew anything about his whereabouts. But there was someone, something that might.

XxXxXxXxX

The last of the pink energon was gone. All that remained was the multicolored concentrated stuff. The femme picked one up and looked it over. It seemed stable enough but really, she didn't know all that much about it. It was kind of like mass displacement, in other words, over her head. What she did know was that any 'bot she had seen ingest it, got way, way over energized more so than on high grade, even. It would require care and she would have to use it because nothing else was left. What would happen when this was gone was more than she wanted to think about. It was certainly a problem, but hell, that's all she had these days. Oh well, screw it. It was time to watch Mythbusters. She could worry after that.

After settling in the usual place on the floor, she carefully sipped the multicolored concoction. None of it had a flavor as she knew it. It did burn and tingle though, and some of it was worse than others. Surprisingly, the compressed cube didn't have near the bite of the regular kind. Maybe sitting around all this time made it weaker? Eh, what was the difference? And besides, there were more interesting things to ponder like what would happen if one were to strap a big ol' rocket to the roof of a Chevy.

XxXxX

The compressed cube was nearly drained. She was so interested in the program that she hadn't noticed. It had hardly any sting and she wasn't feeling that different at all. Yes, it must have lost its strength. The effects weren't that noticeable until she got up to go outside. Wow! That stuff really snuck up on you. It was like Everclear for 'bots. She tried to go toward the door and staggered sideways.

_**Maybe you'd be better off staying inside tonight.**_

Yeah, that was a possibility, but it was so nice out.

_**You're really not in any condition.**_

Okay, fine. Bitch, bitch, bitch. You really aren't a lot of fun, you know that? She thought, throwing her arms upward in exasperation.

Her conscience said nothing more.

She was extremely tired suddenly. An energize indicator in her vision was totally off the scale. It was weird the way that worked. You'd think that one would feel more awake like with coffee. She was going to have to shut down for a time. It was inevitable but she'd stubbornly fight as long as possible. An adjustment to the computer brought up the Military Channel on the monitor. She had been pissed to discover this had replaced Discovery Wings during the years she'd been indisposed but what could you do? Back when she'd still been human, there wasn't a single seeker that hadn't considered everything on the Wings channel high comedy. She watched this one and the Weather Channel when there was nothing of interest on. The voice over announced that presently there would be a program on about aircraft carriers. She liked those because there were often F-15s featured prominently. It was kind of depressing too, as it made her miss her friends even more. What were they all doing now? She went over to her designated spot and got comfortable. A half hour into the program she went off line, and seeing the opportunity, the nanites forced stasis. A cocoon of the pale blue gel began to envelop the protoform.

XxXxXxXxXxX

Scourge was not convinced that any of what they were doing was wise. Given the present state of the Empire, it did not seem advisable to go provoking trouble. They had pilfered the remnants of Unicron's memory banks and managed to locate Galvatron. The tracker did not care to ever repeat that experience. He was no coward but the eerie silence inside the immense severed head was unnerving. The beast was still alive somehow, he was sure. Unfortunately, there was no talking Cyclonus out of it. He was possessed by the idea of finding their missing leader, and it turned out he had been right

Now they were somewhere over one of the moons of Jupiter in pursuit of a couple of Autobots after having destroyed a space platform belonging to the humans. Their esteemed leader was determined to have the Autobots' heads as trophies. So far it had cost them one Sweep. The unfortunate had been hit and had fallen out of sight.

When they had located Galvatron on Thrull he had promptly lit into all of them and they allowed it to a certain degree. If he wasn't so unbelievably loyal Cyclonus could possibly have taken him and if the Sweeps were a little more used to working as a team, the same could be said of them. The entire group combined could have done it without question, but in the end they all pledged loyalty. At the time they thought he was merely angry, but the more they were together the more Scourge was convinced something was very wrong.

Cyclonus had caught on right away. He was almost fanatical in his devotion and it was obvious to him that this was not the same mech that had gone off to slay Unicron. What had happened? Was it from all the time submerged in the plasma on Thrull? Or could it somehow be from the destruction of Unicron? The planet-sized monster had had a hold over their leader. At will it had used pain and torment to keep Galvatron under control. Perhaps during the final battle it had gone so far as to destroy some vital part of his mind. All this random running around was completely out of character.

In time the Autobots were presumed destroyed (though they did not have their heads) and they began the return trip to Chaar. Maybe being back amongst his troops would normalize him a little. Scourge certainly hoped so.

XxXxXxXxXxX

What the hell? Again with this crusty dried up husk. The femme kicked and struggled and succeeded in shredding it, emerging like some kind of malevolent butterfly. Her optics blinked on and were very different. All around the periphery of her vision were many new indicators that had not been there. And she felt great! There had not been such a feeling of strength and clear headedness in a long time. How long had she been out?

The last of the fuel remaining in the generator had run out. The whole room was in darkness. Suddenly and inexplicably, she wanted to be outside more than anything else. She paused a moment before getting to her feet and heading toward the door. Her conscience had nothing to say on the subject. Good. The night vision came on and clearly indicated the exit. The 'bot opened the door and as she tried to walk through it, she was clotheslined to the floor, landing flat on her back with a resounding bang.

"Ow!" she snarled into the darkness. What the fuck was that all about? Her backside hurt and so did something new. She got up and slowly approached the door. Just as she cleared the threshold she could hear a metallic scrape and feel the doorframe touching her brand new appendages. Every Decepticon with an aircraft alt mode had complained regularly about the door being too narrow and would have to pass through it at an angle. She backed away and turned a few circles trying to get a look at the new additions to her frame, resembling a dog chasing its tail in the process. Yes! She had wings!

XxXxX

The sun was still up and would be for more than an hour. She leapt out of the tunnel and could hardly contain herself. The femme noticed immediately that she had gotten more than just wings. Perched on each forearm was a weapon of some kind. Each one was short and fat, staying out of her way of her hands rather than extending past them. They sort of looked like little fusion cannons. She carefully peered into each while trying to stay out of their line of fire. Inside where multiple barrels arranged in a circle. It was a cross between a Gatling gun and the laser she had worn on her left arm. Neat! The armor on the back of the forearms extended past the elbow when the arm was bent. Each section was sharpened like a blade and came to a wicked point. Further up, the nosecone and part of the fuselage split in half and hung down in three sections over each shoulder and the upper arm not unlike the pads worn in football. The canopy that covered the cockpit was conspicuously absent. Instead there was more armor and sheet metal that confirmed that she remained a femme. Looking down at her legs revealed engine intakes and exhaust from the knees down. The rest of her legs carried a distinct female appearance, though on the outer thigh of each there was a panel that looked like it should move but it didn't, or she couldn't get it to. Not bad. Some paint was definitely in order, though. She looked like a femme but had far less humanoid characteristics than any of the female Autobots she'd seen pictures of. How could any of them fight hand to hand against anyone with those spindly limbs? She wished there was a puddle to use as a mirror but it hadn't rained in weeks. The best thing of all was that she could leave and find her comrades. She had missed them. And boy, wouldn't they be surprised!

_**You should take some time to learn before you go running off into who knows what.**_

Hey Sunny Jim, I was wondering when you'd show up. She thought.

_**It's the sensible thing to do. You have no idea of your abilities or how to use them.**_

That was certainly true.

_**You have been presumed dead for years now. A little longer won't matter.**_

Alright.

What could she do besides fly, presumably? There were clues to be had in the indicators surrounding her view. Some of them were the same as before, telling the amount of charge and energon reserves. Then there were others. Some were easy, such as "missiles remaining," but others were more mysterious like "voltage scatter." Whatever that one was, she didn't seem to have enough power to activate it despite a three quarter charge and equal energon reserves. She had looked at all of them before realizing that each was written in Cybertronian and she could read them. Wow, she'd been upgraded all over.

There was easily enough juice to power the guns. She pointed an arm skyward.

_**Do you have any idea how far that shot will go or how visible it is?**_

No.

_**Now is not the time to reveal your presence.**_

I guess not.

She pointed toward the ground away from the silo and paused. No comment from Jiminy Cricket. This would work. Okay, how did they activate? There were no visible triggers. A display for the cannons turned red and read "armed" but nothing else happened. Visualization was the key. She briefly imagined what they would look like in action and was startled when a flash of purple laser fire burst forth and kicked up a spray of dirt and gravel. Now that was something else. She spent the next hour getting an idea of how to activate them with little effort and at varying strength. Her aim was off and it was beginning to annoy her. As though by magic a little, circular reticle popped up in her vision. It was round and flashed red whenever it had a target locked. Just how it knew to recognize something like a rock as a target, she didn't know.

At last darkness began to draw down. Now it was time for the fun part. There remained enough light to see what she looked like if she hurried and found a pond or something.

Again, no warnings or admonishments. So how did one transform, anyway?

This would be so much easier if there was someone around to ask. Visualization seemed to operate the weapons so maybe that's how everything worked. Anything that flew always jumped up first. She crouched and leapt upward. The sections of nosecone and fuselage on her shoulders whipped upward and surrounded her head, while the wings rotated around to point the fight direction. Her legs joined together at the engines and then the whole mess crashed to the ground.

"Damn it!" she said. It wasn't hard to get untangled but it hurt a little.

_**You can't picture the process if you don't know what you look like and how you go together. Try flight in robot mode first.**_

You ass. Why didn't you speak up sooner?

There was no further comment. It was a good idea though. She could use that style of flight to get to where she could see herself. And it was a task that proved far easier to master. Her processors worked a little differently due to her origins but it was effective. They visualized what was desired and this set into motion the other circuits and systems needed to achieve the desired effect.

The femme was not expecting this to work and was caught by surprise, which led to some ungainly flailing around before she got control of herself. In robot mode, Decepticons became airborne through an anti-gravity device, which was why they made so little noise. It was weird. At first she just hovered at a low altitude for several minutes before discovering a series of fans that controlled movement. She had seen those before whilst making repairs to the mechs but had thought they were for just air circulation. Even after her many years among the 'bots, there were some things Megatron thought it best she not know about, and that was one of them. It did not take long to get the hang of it. It didn't take long to locate water, either.

XxXxXxXxXxX

Galvatron was enraged, although that tended to be his state of mind all the time. And it was truly an understatement. Nothing was what he intended or wanted. He was stuck on a planet that was nothing but a garbage heap and his so-called warriors were worthless. How could he keep being defeated this way? He had gained the matrix and went off to destroy his would-be owner, but then the matrix was no help to him. He had it in his hands and it would not work. Unicron had been destroyed and no longer had any control over him. He had warned that stupid, overgrown mechanism that he belonged to nobody. (Overlooking the fact that it was the Autobots new leader who had actually done the deed.) Unicron's end was the only positive. Well, that and the fact that he had given the traitor Starscream the overdue retribution he so richly deserved. After that it was just more failure. They had gone back to Earth and even with the might of Trypticon on their side, had been foiled yet again. He was surrounded by fiasco. Once in his other life he would have learned from these experiences, even if it was just one small thing, but not now.

The anger overwhelmed him for a second and his optics flickered unsteadily as he repeatedly punched the wall over and over before calming down a little. He even lacked the resources to get his old form back and was stuck in this casing dictated by Unicron. That only infuriated him further and punching the wall was so unsatisfying. The Autobots would suffer for this! It was entirely their fault and he would track them one by one if he had to, and slowly and painfully murder them. Cybertron would become intimately familiar with his wrath. Oh yes. He would lay waste to the entire planet if that was what it took to meet his goal. But how? Slag it! He wanted to hurt something NOW, if just to relieve the poison in his own mind.

"CYCLONUS!" he roared. He knew that the mech would be somewhere close by, the moron.

"What do you require of me, mighty Galvatron?" Cyclonus asked upon entering the room. He knew he was taking his life into his own hands by doing this but his programming demanded loyalty.

"Come here a moment. I wish to _discuss_ your failures of late,"

XxXxXxXxXxX

The pasture field was pretty isolated so there was no one to witness the cattle running in terror as the 'bot landed hard next to their large pond. The next time, she'd have to remember to get lower before cutting off the anti-grav.

And then the moment of truth. She stood on a bank and leaned out over the water. Holy crap, but things were way different than last time. Her faceplate was definitely femme but those pissed off looking, slightly downward slanted optics were awfully familiar, even if they were green and the sharp corners a little rounded. Her head had the same helmet like appearance as any transformer with three sharp looking ridges raised above the surface and running from front to back. On the sides were two exceedingly wicked looking points sticking up. They appeared to be folded and had a protective cover at the base. Must be an antenna or something. The wings were similar to those of her friends, though thinner. The engine intakes were on her legs instead of sticking up on either side of her head, which indicated that her alt mode was certainly different from theirs too.

What am I besides some kind of seeker? She wondered.

_**Not what. Who. Who are you?**_

The answer wasn't Erica Dawes, she knew that right away.

_**Correct. Erica is long dead. You are someone else entirely.**_

Okay, who?

_**You tell me.**_

Shit. She hated it when he got all cryptic. Who was she? Good question, that. Gradually, a name surfaced and she heard herself speak to the voice out loud, a thing she avoided because it somehow confirmed insanity to her.

"I…I'm…Stormvolt?" It felt right, but why was that her name? Names didn't always mean something, but more often than not they did. Hmmm. The longer she considered it, the more correct it felt. Alright then, from this point on she was Stormvolt. If it meant something, the mystery would be unraveled eventually. For now though, there were other puzzles to solve.

After several minutes of committing the images to memory, it wasn't hard to figure out what went where. It was so easy it stunned her a little. Processors were so much faster than a regular brain. By then it was dark. She moved away from the pond and outside the fence. After a little thought she made the attempt. Success! Maybe. At first she couldn't see anything, but then the optics popped on with the standard readouts plus some flight indicators. It would be a long night and when she finally got a glimpse of herself in alt mode, she would have no idea what she was…a YF-17.

XxXxX

**Author's note continued:** Yeah, you knew that was coming. There was no way I could make her something ground based. The YF-17 is real. It was created by Northrup and competed against the YF-16, which was originally developed by General Dynamics but is now made by Lockheed Martin. The Air Force picked the YF-16, which became the F-16 Fighting Falcon, but the Navy wanted something with two engines because of long flights over water and so the YF-17 design was modified and became the F-18 Hornet. The 17 never got beyond the experimental stage, but it did have a cool animal name like the others, though it was unofficial: Cobra. Compared to the F-15 the 17 is approximately 8.2 feet shorter in length, 3.1 feet shorter in height and the wingspan is 5.2 feet narrower. I picked it because it's similar in appearance to the F-15 but smaller as you would imagine a femme to be, and it had two engines. As with anything, you can find lots of photos of it on Google image. I haven't decided if all this research is good or hopelessly dorky, but there you have it.


	4. All Dressed Up and No Place to Go

Author's note: There's a little more at the end so nothing's given away. Transformers belong to Hasbro and Takara. Thanks for reading and for the comments.

A Blessing And a Curse  
By: Quetzal1

Chapter 4  
All Dressed Up and No Place to Go

xxxxx

_**You're stalling.**_

No I'm not. I'm just getting one last good look.

The sunset was a spectacular sight from her vantage point on top of a tall mesa in the Painted Desert. The southwest was a grand hiding place. It was open and mostly unobstructed which was a condition Stormvolt had come to favor without even realizing it at first. There were outcroppings of rock with which to conceal oneself, but she didn't give a rat's ass who saw her now. As soon as the sun was down, she was out of here, likely for good. She was going to go to Cybertron on her own. Others had done it, so she could manage it somehow. It was the only option left. If everything she had heard was true, then she was the one remaining Decepticon left on Earth.

She had spent the last few months learning about herself and how to best employ her new skills. It took time to get good at things like transforming and taking off from a standstill and then switching back to robot mode and landing on a small spot. General flight had come naturally but she'd have to have more skill than that to be a real Decepticon. The rock formations in Monument Valley provided ideal obstacles for flying around, over and through. When all the education there was to be had from that was exhausted, she had moved on to harassing military aircraft. The most fun was in Nevada when she had come across the Top Gun school when they were in the middle of an exercise with no less than 50 aircraft in the sky.

She had stalked them before diving into their midst and locking weapons onto them. It would have been easy to shoot them down, but since she was the only one with weapons, there was no challenge in it. It was more fun to confound them by simply locking on and radioing "Bang, you're dead." Over and over. Eventually something that was armed showed up and attempted pursuit but it was easily outdistanced.

It had been fun, but in monitoring their communications she heard something that was confusing and a little disturbing. One pilot asked another if they were being attacked by a Decepticon and the reply had been:

"Decepticon? I thought there weren't any more of those left here."

What did it mean? Possibly that there were none in the general area? Or maybe there weren't many around because they'd gone to Cybertron?

She also learned more mundane things like how to create energon cubes. Finding a fuel source to convert was easy. The American west was loaded with little gas stations in remote and out of the way places. Stormvolt had seen it done merely by placing one's hands together and then moving them apart. After a few failed attempts, she inspected her hands closely. In addition to little claw like appendages on the index fingers and thumbs, each hand had half of a small connector near the palms that had gone unnoticed until then. When they joined there was a faint pull like a magnet and then when she eased her hands apart, there was the cube. Amazing. Sending a pulse to scramble any security devices hadn't been tough. Even figuring out how to channel a signal to get the gas pump to work hadn't been much of a challenge. The hard part of the whole operation had been manipulating the now tiny handle on the pump. She could have just torn it off but then it wouldn't have looked like random petty theft.

All in all, she'd been doing a pretty fair job of surviving on her own, but it was a lonely way to live. If attacks on the Autobots had continued there must be some Decepticons on the planet somewhere. Why would they be hiding out? She would find out soon enough. Once she was proficient at everything she could think up or remembered ever seeing a seeker do, aside from teleporting and making enough noise to cause damage, it was time to find the others. But she looked a mess. She was all bare metal or covered in what resembled white primer. The only parts that were presentable were those that appeared to be made out of something that resembled gunmetal. There was no way she could present herself like that. And that was when the undercover Autobot scam came to mind.

XxXxXxXxX

"How about a nice pink?" Ritchie asked.

_**How about I crush your skull like a walnut?**_

"No. Absolutely not," Stormvolt replied, not even bothering to hide her disgust. She had finally reached the point where she was ready for paint. Finding someone to do it wasn't hard. These dopes were willing to do just about anything for an Autobot. She had told the young man that she was going to go undercover as a Decepticon and infiltrate their ranks, and he'd believed it. Sucker. Now they were deciding on a color scheme. For whatever reason, he seemed to think a femme couldn't be a primary shade.

"Here's a nice pastel green," the human offered.

_**What about a nice blood red? I can give you a wonderful reference to go by.**_

Boy, someone was in fine form today. She had to remind herself not to speak out loud to the voice. At times like this she wondered if it was really just her conscious or subconscious or whatever, because it seemed very close to having a mind of its own.

"I hate pastel."

"There's lavender."

"Am I talking to myself here?"

Ritchie Reyes didn't get it. He'd seen Autobots in person before, as well as pictures from websites. The chicks were all painted a pastel shade of some kind. As far as anyone knew there were no Decepticon females. It was the first time something he was going to paint had an opinion of its own. He and his brother Joe owned a body shop in Arizona. They could fix almost any kind of damage, but what they both really loved was restoring old cars and applying custom paint jobs to anything they could get a hold of. Joe was out sick and so Ritchie had gone in early that morning to finish up a couple of projects that were supposed to be done that day. He had been quite surprised to find the 'bot there waiting when he showed up.

"What about silver?" He asked.

"Silver, huh?" That might work. "How about silver and this blue right here?" She asked, pointing to a card featuring a shade of blue that was close to royal but darker.

"Yeah! You could be midnight blue and have silver flames running down the sides…"

"No flames."

"And I could put them on the wings and…." He trailed off when he noticed his living canvas glaring down at him. He'd somehow gotten the idea that Autobots had more of a sense of humor than he was seeing.

"Okay, no flames, but some metal flake would be awesome."

"No metal flake. I am not a bass boat, thank you."

"Just a little pearl, then."

Stormvolt sighed and finally relented. "Let me see it first," she said, just wanting to get the job done so she could be on her way. It turned out to be more tasteful than she was imaging.

"Alright, let's get on with it."

XxXxXxXxX

It took a couple of days but the end result was quite satisfying. In alt mode, she was midnight blue and sported silver stripes that ran along the leading edges of both wings just like any seeker. Closer inspection revealed that Ritchie had been unable to curb his creative urges. The wing stripes were not just straight lines. Every few feet the lines zigzagged subtly to give the appearance of lightning. He had also taken the liberty of placing a silver lightning bolt on each vertical stabilizer. There were no faction symbols. Those were awarded in a ceremony and it would be grossly presumptuous of her to show up wearing them already.

In robot mode she was mostly blue and gunmetal with a few silver panels here and there. Not bad. Not bad at all.

"Well? What do you think?" Ritchie asked, beaming. His brother Joe had shown up to help despite having raging cold.

"I don't recall anyone asking me about all this lightning," Stormvolt replied.

"See man? I told you, you were getting carried away," Joe said, lightly punching his sibling in the arm.

"Nah. You're pretending to be a Decepticon, right? You gotta look badass."

"Mmmm. This from someone who wanted to paint me pink. Nevertheless, I like it. Thank you, gentlemen. I'll be on my way now," she said, stepping away from the building where a highly polished piece of aluminum was leaning against the side to function as a makeshift mirror for inspecting the work.

"Okay, but who's going to pay for this?" Joe asked, ever the businessman.

"Oh that. Just send the bill to Autobot City," Stormvolt said, leaping upward, then transforming and rocketing away.

Yeah! Now it was time to find the others, but where to start? The most logical place would be the undersea headquarters. It was a short trip by her current standards and in the end, utterly pointless. She circled the spot above the ocean signaling all the while and nothing happened. Not even a single shot was fired at her. Where was everyone? Shit, where did she go from here? It was disquieting. While sitting inside the Reyes brothers' shop overnight, she had detected a wireless internet connection and surfed the web for whatever information she could find as a way to pass the time. In the old days she would have been weeks sifting through it all but it only took a couple hours to track down every mention of Decepticons. Much of it was repetitive, but the over all consensus was that they had all been driven from the planet. Bullshit. They had gone to Cybertron on their own. No one forced them to do anything. Plus they had come back to attack. It must all be propaganda. What she needed was a proper source of information, someone who knew what was really happening and if there were no Decepticons to be found, then she'd settle for an Autobot.

XxXxXxXxXxX

Powerglide could just barely decipher the signal. There was someone in trouble. From what he could make out, a couple of people were trapped on the side of a cliff and one of them was injured pretty badly. There were lots of hikers and campers in the mountainous area and they often had mishaps. The idea of walking for fun was baffling. You'd never see him hiking or rock climbing, not as long as he could fly. The sky was dark off to the west. He'd better find the humans before the storm got here. They were pretty susceptible to temperature drops, not to mention lightning. The easy thing would be to dive down into the chasm to search, but he didn't want to chance blowing the humans right off of whatever kind of perch they had. He transformed and began to look over the edge, calling to the missing organics, unaware of being targeted the whole while.

The lone Decepticon could not believe how easy it had been. The fake distress call on the Autobots' frequency had gotten a reaction right away. Dirty liars they might be, but to keep up appearances, they would rescue a human if given the opportunity.

Stormvolt originally planned to zip in and blast him, but that might be a little heavy handed. She dove toward the ground, engines off before transforming and practically landing on Powerglide, knocking him off the cliff, stunned and confused. The femme wasted no time and leapt after him, activating the anti gravity. The Autobot had been caught off guard and awkwardly fell to the bottom, bouncing off a rock here and there. He was too stunned to react at first but not enough not to send a distress call of his own before laser fire damaged his long-range transmitter. He rolled over and for a moment thought he was seeing a ghost. But then his optics focused properly and he realized he was looking at something more unbelievable than a spirit; it was a femme, and apparently a Decepticon.

"Who are you?" He asked.

"I ask the questions here, Autobot." She replied, pointing a small cannon. "Where are the other Decepticons?"

"What?"

"I said, 'where are the other Decepticons?' Did that fall damage your audio sensors?"

"I don't know what you mean."

"You aren't in any position to bullshit me, friend. You'd better tell me the location of Megatron and the others before I run out of patience."

"Uhhhh…I don't know where you've been lately, but he's dead."

"HA! What kind of moron do you take me for? Megatron is indestructible."

"Yeah, I used to think so too." Powerglide was thoroughly confused. How could any Decepticon not know all this?

"What happened?" Stormvolt challenged, expecting some fantastic lie.

The mech gave her the short version of the battle for Autobot city and what came after.

"You surely don't expect me to believe that?"

"Believe it or don't, but that's what happened."

"You lie, and I despise liars, Powerglide,"

"You know who I am?"

"I know a lot of things, such as the fact that I grow weary of you."

Thunder rumbled ominously and the rising wind blew a scattering of dead leaves and dust between them. The thunder went on longer than normal and soon both of them discerned the sounds of engines. Stormvolt saw relief on Powerglide's countenance and glanced behind and upward. Two Aerialbots had heard the distress call and were closing fast. They would already be shooting if she wasn't so close to their friend.

"Well, well. If it isn't the cavalry." She turned and regarded the Autobot who was sensibly remaining still. "You are certainly lucky, I'll say that much for you."

This proved an astute observation as Fireflight streaked towards them and fired, narrowly missing both. Stormvolt returned fire while keeping one cannon pointed at her captive. Screw this, it was time to flee the scene.

"Maybe I'll see you later," she said before transforming and shooting upwards like a blue bullet.

Powerglide got to his feet just as Air Raid came down beside him.

"Are you alright?"

"I think so. The only thing that's hurt is my pride." Once the danger was past, the others would never let him hear the end of it.

"Is it my imagination or was that a femme?"

"Yeah. And a Decepticon at that."

"Seriously? I didn't know there was such a thing."

"Till today, I didn't either."

"Can you transform?" Air Raid asked.

"I think so."

"We'd better go catch up with Fireflight. Where there's one Decepticon there's usually more."

Both mechs switched back to their alt modes and flew toward the dark clouds in search of their comrade.

"I don't think there are any others this time," Powerglide said.

"Why not?"

"It's the craziest thing. She was askin' about the other Decepticons and had no clue that Megatron had checked out."

"How could anyone not know that?"

"Beats me."

"Guys, could you continue the discussion after we catch her?" Fireflight said over the communicator. He was in pursuit of the seeker and it was pretty hard going. She was fast and maneuverable and had almost gotten away twice by hiding in the clouds. The lightning wasn't helping either. It was not a place he wanted to be.

Damn! That Aerialbot was hanging in there and now his buddies were catching up. It would be more difficult escaping them than human operated aircraft to say the least. The afterburners kicked in and she began to pull away when a happy (for her) accident occurred. Just as she was beginning to gain some space, the heavy gray clouds opened and a colossal bolt of lightning stuck the femme. It happened too fast to be scary and it didn't hurt, in fact, she felt fantastic.

The indicator for voltage scatter was fully illuminated. The power was incredible and she felt like she'd come apart trying to contain it. This was going to be good.

Her pursuers saw the strike and were expecting anything other than what happened. The Decepticon transformed and aimed both arm mounted cannons and several small blasters that had popped out of various locations. The anti-gravity device kept her aloft and she smiled at the oncoming aircraft, optics burning fiercely.

They knew from experience that when a lone Decepticon faced them without fear, something very bad was about to happen to them. This instance was no different.

It all made perfect sense, including her name. She had taken on the properties of her last project as a human and a few of her old weapons. Electricity arced beween the little claws on her thumbs and index fingers. They were contact points for built in tasers. Each exposed weapon with the exception of the tasers let fly with a deluge of energy that caught the already injured Powerglide and sent him away smoking.

"Come on, Fireflight, it's time to go," Air Raid said. This was one of those situations where discretion was the better part of valor. He had never seen or heard of something like this. Who knew what else was about to happen?

"If I could just get closer I know I could blast her out of the sky." He preferred close combat to shooting at someone over a distance.

"You're certainly welcome to try!" Stormvolt called and then laughed. Her mirth had a familiar quality but neither mech was going to pause there to consider it.

"You can try it some other time, right now Powerglide could use some help."

"Okay, okay, let's go." And then they turned and went off in search of their friend.

"Hey! Where's everybody going?" Stormvolt said, and then transformed fully intending to chase them down and fry them to charcoal.

_**This is folly.**_

What are you afraid of? She was positively ecstatic. Another explosion of the reconstituted lightning tore at the sky between the departing Aerialbots. As the bolts faded, alarms began going off. The voltage scatter meter showed a zero charge and her reserves of energon and general charge fell off by a large percentage. Uh oh.

_**That's what. You are going to let your alligator mouth get your hummingbird ass blown away.**_

Gotcha. Let's get out of here. The seeker banked sharply and disappeared into the murky sky.

XxXxX

It had been a valuable lesson. She had a fantastic new weapon but it was only good for a couple of shots. Caution in its use was well advised. But that was okay, the small cannons were very damaging even when just operating as lasers. As she headed back for the desert southwest, the skies cleared and she was able to expose the light collecting panels on each wing, which helped her condition immensely. It was a first meeting with the enemy and she had come out on top. She wished she could have seen the looks on their faces.

_**Of course now they know you're here and every Autobot and human will be watching for you.**_

True.

_**But then again, why stay here anyway?**_

Another good point.

_**Why not bail out and head home?**_

Home?

_**Cybertron. That was where you were supposed to go before things went awry. You could get there on your own. It's been done before.**_

Yeah, I guess so.

It was possible. She had easily flown into the upper atmosphere to the point where the curvature of the earth was visible. It wouldn't take much more to break the planet's gravity. Space travel was becoming common. There were human outposts in several areas now. The Earth Defense Command had replaced NASA and they had something called warp gates that could make it far easier to get from place to place. But still, her alt mode was a jet fighter, not a spacecraft of some kind.

**_No, you are only _disguised_ as a jet. You are fully capable of space voyages as long as they aren't too far. Cybertron is within your limits._**

It was probably the only way to find out what was happening. The news outlets were propaganda and easily controlled by the government, and it'd be a cold day in hell before she took the word of an Autobot as gospel. Plus, she'd be hunted. And she desperately wanted to see her friends again.

Okay. Let's do it, but first I gotta rest.

Her internal diagnostics found no problems other than low energon. That was nothing to fix. The light collecting panels had produced a full charge and through experimentation it was discovered that high-tension power lines could render an effect similar to lightning. It wasn't as strong and it didn't have that same wonderful feel but it would work fine as a substitute.

And now she sat on top of a mesa finishing off an energon cube that would max out the indicator. The femme had developed a healthy tolerance to the substance and it took quite a bit of it to get over-energized now. The rest of the stash she had hidden had been compressed and stowed in various compartments.

The sun slipped below the horizon. There was nothing else to wait for.

"Okay, lets ride," she said before leaping from the edge of the butte, transforming and angling steadily upward. The seeker reveled in the sensation of the air flowing over wings and fuselage. It was very sensual when you had the time to enjoy it without someone shooting at you. It was easy to understand why Thundercracker had been so devastated. Stormvolt would rather die than give this up. The air got thinner and the stars brighter, eventually the pull of earth was broken and she was in the beginnings of outer space. The coordinates for Cybertron were already in her processors so it was a matter of adjusting trajectory. She got pointed in the right direction and then turned off both engines. There was no gravity so the fans would work nicely and conserve power as well. She was excited to be on her way but settled in and prepared for a long trip.

XxXxX

Author's note: The Top Gun school is real, but you probably knew that. It used be in Miramar, California, but then it was moved to Reno, Nevada. Next time is the part I know some of you have been waiting for. Ol' girl gets to see the truth for herself and as we know, the truth sometimes hurts.


	5. Chapter 5 Part 1 Repeating History

Author's note: This chapter wound up so big I decided to bust it into two parts and post them at the same time. This one is a downer for sure. Thanks for reading. Enjoy. Transformers belong to Hasbro and Takara.

A Blessing and a Curse  
By: Quetzal1

Chapter 5 (Part 1)  
Repeating History

xxxxx

All those Star Trek and Star Wars movies were serious misrepresentations. Despite what they would make you think, space travel was boring beyond belief. So far, anyway. There was nothing but starlight and not much in the way of scenery aside from the occasional nebula. Stormvolt constantly monitored every frequency hearing nothing but the occasional human communication. It was a good thing she had taken the liberty of hacking iTunes and Napster before she left, downloading everything available. She might be a machine now, but she hadn't lost her taste for rock and roll and music helped ease the boredom.

It wasn't pure tedium the entire time. Initially she was kind of jumpy. Any damn thing could be lurking about.

_**Stop it. You are nearly twenty tons of mechanized death and are the only thing to be feared here.**_

The inner voice had remained silent since then. He'd not even commented when she found a warp gate and circled it awhile, considering whether or not to use it. Ultimately, after firing the engines incase a fast escape was needed, she gathered her nerve and got close enough to be pulled in. Time didn't seem to speed up but the stars took on a stretched look and colors were visible in them that weren't before. Far ahead, the elongated stars twisted to a spiral and this was what the seeker aimed for. Was this more like time travel or teleporting or neither? According to the clock, it was a three hour trip from the entrance until being expelled at the gate's exit. And the other side didn't look any different. Navigation systems indicated that she was still headed in the right direction and was now only approximately 45 Earth minutes from her destination. That was pretty impressive right there. Before entering the gate, the clock was showing a couple of weeks and she was beginning to get slightly concerned about her energon stocks. The light collecting panels kept up the general charge, but since she was going easy on the energon, her systems, particularly the ones for maintaining a certain internal temperature, were somehow feeding off the power stored for voltage scatter. Hopefully nothing too hairy would happen this close to home and she wouldn't need it. There was potentially enough for one shot or a few good taser-ings. Despite what the readouts said, she could stand a rest on solid ground. All this weightlessness was bound to make one a little awkward and she didn't want to be klutzing around when she hit Cybertron. First impressions were important.

A far ranging scan showed something suitable dead ahead. Her vision zoomed in to its limit and she could see an object that might have been a giant asteroid. That appeared a likely spot to take five.

XxXxXxXxXxX

There was more scrap and debris around than Cyclonus could check out in entire weeks devoted to nothing but that task. That was fine by him. When he could slip away from Chaar this was one of a few places he liked to visit. Hook had told him they needed parts to fashion a new static eliminator for their energon refinery and this was as good a place as any. No sense in taking a trip to the Planet of Junk just yet. More often than not, that resulted in a fight with either Junkions or meddling Autobots. And even worse than all that, it could result in damage or losses that might catch the attention of Galvatron. Their leader was unaware of the small refinery so far. No one could see the point in telling him about it, since the energon being produced wasn't even industrial grade and he would be apt to destroy it out of frustration or accuse them of something underhanded and then destroy it. But he wasn't going to think about their leader right now. He was there to search for the correct parts and that was what he would focus on.

Not so long ago he had performed an aerial survey and had mentally sectioned off the entire asteroid into a grid. Now the mech would methodically search each square, scanning for useful items and pausing to kick the debris around when it was piled up in ways that defied normal scans. It wasn't that deep in most places, as the asteroid didn't have much pull on anything. A lot of what was there had just drifted in and become embedded and the rest would get lodged on that and then it snowballed from there. It was boring work and scavenging was beneath him, beneath all of them, but the task was also calming. Things that took his mind off the myriad problems facing their faction were few and far between. So far he'd found nothing. A derelict ship would be nice. There were lots of things on one of those that he could salvage. As though in response to this thought, his sensors alerted him to the approach of … something. It was a ship or possibly just a shuttle judging from the information. Whatever it was, it was heading straight for the asteroid. Could it be Quintessons? If so, he would massacre the lot of them. No one needed to know. Galvatron allowed them to live just for the information they provided now and then. If Cyclonus had his way, he would exterminate all of the treacherous, loathsome things. Maybe it was an errant Autobot. In that case, he would capture it and take it back to Chaar for interrogation and as something for their leader to torment and thereby improve his mood. He crouched amongst the detritus and waited to see what happened. It could possibly keep right on going. But it didn't.

XxXxX

Yes, that scan had been right on the money, Stormvolt thought. This would be a great spot to get herself together. She flew low over the surface, taking in the first scenery she'd come across in a long time. What was all that crap on the ground? There was no way she'd land as an aircraft in that mess. Soon a spot that looked to be relatively clear came into view. That would do. About the time she began to transform, an alarm went off in a low-key way. There was something alive down there. Another indicator gave the general area for the reading and she was so surprised by it all her attention wandered just a little.

_**Watch what you're doing!**_

She immediately adjusted for the landing and saved it at the last minute. Both feet hit the ground and the femme began to slide. One leg was extended forward and she leaned the bulk of her weight on the trailing leg. Both arms were out, one in front and one in the back, and she appeared to be surfing without a board. Bits of rock and debris flew up on either side in rooster tails. It would have worked fine except for when her lead foot contacted a busted strut that was sunk into the ground. Just when she was starting to feel sort of proud of the landing everything abruptly stopped and she became airborne again, flying end over end until coming into contact with a pile of junk and the ground. Okay, no more fancy stuff. Next time she'd use the anti-grav. Shit.

Cyclonus had approached the area when he saw that the new arrival was indeed going to land. He was much more curious than before. It looked like a seeker, but that couldn't be right. He got there in time to witness the mishap. Bits of scrap flew into the air with the force of the collision. He was confused further. Was this a femme? Whatever it was, it was attempting to get up from an upside down reclining position. The chassis appeared undamaged but the processors must have taken a good shock because she was mumbling things to herself that he didn't understand.

_**Nice job.**_

"Shut up. You might have said something sooner." She struggled upright and looked around, taking in where the long slide had ended and how far she must have flown before coming back down. Fortunately, nothing seemed to be damaged.

"Slaggin'-A, that was quite a crash."

The voice said nothing, but someone made a throat clearing noise off to one side. Stormvolt turned instantly at the sound and was shocked and then, upon spotting the faction symbol, very relieved. The mech bearing the Decepticon emblem was big and had a grim expression. On him, light purple paint did not seem girly in the least. He did not appear to be a seeker, but he did have wings extending from his back. And what was that sticking out of his head? They resembled big pointy ears. No doubt it was a nosecone or something in alt mode but like this they gave him an attentive, alert appearance like a German shepherd. He also had a large weapon pointed at her.

"Am I glad to see you," she said.

That was a first. Cyclonus could not recall anyone saying that to him before and meaning it. She would be having a change of heart very soon.

"Identify yourself," he said. His voice was low and deliberate. If he'd been human he probably could have had quite a career in radio.

"My name is Stormvolt. I'm a Decepticon." His voice wasn't the only thing she noticed. It was hard to miss the gun still aimed at her.

"You are going to have to do better than that."

"What?"

"Everyone knows there are no Decepticon femmes. I'd find it far more likely you are an Autobot spy," the mech said with an amused smirk.

"Yeah, well everybody's wrong. And how dare you!" she said, getting to her feet and crouching a bit as though she were thinking of pouncing. "I am so a Decepticon. Just because you haven't seen me before doesn't prove anything. By that logic, how do I know _you_ aren't a spy?" And with that she pointed both cannons at him and waited.

_**Your belligerence is fine but you really need to work on that diplomacy.**_

"Not now."

" 'Not now' what? Who are you talking to?" Cyclonus asked. Yes, that crash definitely damaged something.

"My fairy Godfather. What the hell do you care?"

They stood there with guns aimed at one another for several moments.

"This is getting us nowhere," Cyclonus said, taking a calculated risk and pointing his weapon at the ground. It had the desired effect almost immediately.

"Agreed," Stormvolt replied, lowering both arms but keeping a wary eye on the mech.

"If you are a Decepticon, where is your emblem and where have you been all this time?" He asked, moving a bit closer.

"Well, the thing is, I haven't been one all that long. And as for the emblem, you know you don't just grab some paint and stencil one on."

The mech nodded. Interesting. Knowledge that the symbol was conferred in a ceremony suggested truth, but it wasn't exactly a big secret. He waited for her to continue.

"As to where I've been, I've been on Earth," she said, backing up a step.

That was a patent lie. Every single warrior that had been on Earth was accounted for one way or the other. And then he noticed something else…she had green optics. The only thing he had seen with that color was Quintessons. Yes, he was dealing with a spy, or perhaps an assassin. But wouldn't something sent by those tentacled freaks be far less inept? None of it made any sense.

"Why have you not returned before now?" He asked, edging closer still.

This question appeared to make her uncomfortable. "Yeah, about that…could you take me to Megatron? I need to speak with him first before I say anything else." No way would she tell him that little story just yet.

Megatron? What was going on here? This femme was severely deluded or absolutely mad. Either way, she might be dangerous.

"You wish to speak with our leader?" He asked, carefully leaving out who that was these days.

"Right," she replied, looking hopeful.

"That can be arranged, but first you'd better get rid of the garbage hanging off your wing," the mech said, pointing to her right.

"Yeah." And the moment Stormvolt averted her gaze to attend to the phantom garbage, she realized her error but it was too late. Cyclonus dove forward and pinned her against the ground with nearly as much force as her earlier crash. He was huge but extremely fast.

"Get off me before I have to eviscerate you!" Stormvolt growled, as she tried to thrash herself free of the many tons of weight keeping her down. The fragments of trash on the ground make screeching noises as they dug into her armor.

"Stop it. You cannot escape and I want to keep you in one piece. For now." Evidently she was not going to heed his warning. Fine. He did sort of appreciate her spirit, though, but he didn't have the time for a prolonged struggle. "I said stop!"

A handheld weapon an inch away from the side of one's head did wonders for motivation. How could she have been so damn stupid? She was face down in the debris and now both hands were roughly pulled behind her back and bound with something. If she could just get a hand on this guy, she'd fix him good.

_**Save it.**_

What if I don't get another chance?

_**I think he is going to take you where you want to go. Cooperate for now and save your energy.**_

It made sense but confirmation was in order, she thought as she was jerked upward to a standing position. The fucking guy was strong, too.

"What are you going to do now?" Stormvolt demanded, doing a good job of sounding angry instead of scared.

"I am doing as you requested. We are going to see our leader," Cyclonus said, in a tone sounding as though tackling and chaining her up should make this obvious.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

Flight by antigravity felt pretty awkward with one's hands tied behind them but the chain wasn't entirely a bad thing. It would conduct electricity if the definite need arose to light this bastard up. The trip didn't take long and soon Cybertron was in sight. As the planet drew ever closer the femme attempted a course correction and was forcibly yanked back like an errant balloon.

"Hey! What are you doing?"

"Keeping us both from getting shot. The Autobots hold Cybertron."

"What are you talking about? The Decepticons came back with enough energy to restore it over 10 years ago. I was there when it happened...well, more or less." It was just getting weirder and weirder and she was beginning to feel more scared.

"Things have changed in your absence." Cyclonus said, offering no further explanation.

Maybe I ought to zap him and run.

_**No, not yet. Patience.**_

They maintained course and began the approach to something like the asteroid only planet sized. The entire place looked as though it had been blasted to bits and then hit again just to make sure not even roaches would survive. That is, if there had been such a thing as bugs here. Everything the seeker saw was in a state of ruin. They landed in an open area that had been cleared of debris. There was no one in sight.

"What is all this?" she asked in a tone far less aggressive than Cyclonus was becoming used to.

"This," he said with an expansive sweep of one arm, "is Chaar. Welcome home."

"Home? This dump? What the fuck is going on? You have to tell me and stop screwing around."

"First you must speak with our leader, remember?"

"Sure, whatever. Let's find him."

"This way."

It was a short walk to the remnants of what was probably a very stately looking structure in the past. At least it still had a roof. They entered the enormous foyer and were immediately approached by someone (or thing) that the femme had never seen before. He was big, though not as much so as her captor, and freaky looking with appendages on his back that resembled bat wings, pinkish claws and attachments to his faceplate in the shape of a long and pointed beard and moustache.

"Cyclonus! It's a good thing you're back. Galvatron has noticed you weren't around and was starting to ask questions," he said, clearly relieved and completely ignoring the prisoner at first.

Well, she had a name to put with the face now. And who was this one? He didn't seem surprised in the least that she was there. It could be this Cyclonus was always showing up with prisoners. Was he a security officer of some kind?

"Who's the femme?" He finally asked.

"This is Stormvolt. A long lost Decepticon who's here to see _Megatron_."

"Are you serious?"

"Oh yes, Scourge. It seems she was on Earth all this time."

"You know, I'm standing right here," she said, trying not to show worry. The mech's emphasis on certain words and his whole manner was just so wrong. But she had another name now, and it was fitting. He looked like a Scourge.

"Earth, huh? Do tell," Scourge said, ignoring her.

"No time for that I'm afraid."

"Ah well, I think you're in the clear for now. He took his mad out on Swindle earlier."

"Good."

"Be sure to let me know how your meeting goes," the tracker said as he nonchalantly walked out the door.

Swindle? So he was still about. There was no telling what the shady Combaticon had done to arouse Megatron's anger, but what did that have to do with Cyclonus being "in the clear?"

If she were still human she'd have a headache from all this. The seeker would have given just about anything for Skywarp or Thundercracker to come through the door right then.

"Cyclonus, would you please untie me? I would like to do this with some dignity if you don't mind. I'm going to have a lot of explaining to do."

"Undoubtedly," he said and looked at her very hard. It was not an unreasonable request.

"I will release you, but if I suspect any treachery I will not hesitate to turn you into slag on the spot."

"I would expect nothing less."

The chain came off and as she rubbed her wrist joints, she briefly wanted to give him a jolt of several thousand volts just out of spite but didn't. This was it. Too bad there wasn't time to buff out the scratches in her paint.

"Through there," the mech said, gesturing with his weapon and grabbing her upper arm in such a way that she couldn't stab him with the blade like extension on her elbow. He would take no chances.

As they passed through a high doorway she noticed a couple of twins, or would it be triplets? Either way, they both resembled Scourge. Maybe he could clone himself Insecticon-style. There was a ragged throne on an elevated area of floor but no one else in sight. A loud crash from an adjoining room interrupted her survey of the surroundings. One of the Scourge-looking things was clearly heard muttering a warning "Uh-oh."

Another purple mech charged into the room and started toward them. He was shorter than Scourge and kind of squat and evidently he was pissed about something. There were things in his design, for instance the yellow cannon on one arm, which suggested a kinship with Megatron.

"Greetings, Mighty Galvatron," Cyclonus said.

_Galvatron?_ Who the hell was he and why were they wasting time with him?

"Cyclonus, where have you been? I…." and he stopped in mid tirade and slowed his approach enormously when he noticed their guest.

Huh. He even sounded a little bit like her leader, just a tad higher and not gravelly. They did not have relatives as such, but if they did Stormvolt would have guessed him to be a cousin with a taste for flashy paint and silly looking accessories.

"What have we here?" Galvatron asked while looking her up and down in a speculative way that came off as rather pervy to the femme. That was dumb though, she reasoned. Skywarp had told her that since mechs and femmes were essentially the same it was considered unusual to have a preference for one or the other based on just that rather than the standard compatibility issues.

"I thought you would like to interrogate this prisoner. I think she may be a Quintesson spy."

"For the last time, I am not a spy, I don't even know what a Quintesson is. I came here to speak to Megatron. Where is he?" Where was anyone she knew? She was tired of being polite, of being afraid and of the odd déjà vu sensation.

The tyrant was also having peculiar feelings. Why was this seeker ever so slightly familiar to him? The tiny sane part of him that remained was curious and it asserted itself enough to keep is wild mood swings in check for the moment.

"You will show some respect to your master," Cyclonus said, clamping down harder on her arm, and for the first time sounding angry.

"Fuck off, Lurch. My leader is Megatron."

The reason why she felt like she'd done all this before suddenly occurred. She had been grabbed against her will, beat around and hauled away to who knew where and then threatened more except the first time she had been dinky and her antagonizer had been Starscream.

"Your insolence will only bring you pain," the mech replied and swung one hand back to smack her, surprised that she wasn't flinching away yet.

Multiple thoughts raced through the femme's central processor.

_**I do hope you aren't going to just stand here and let him hit you. Twenty tons of mechanized death, remember?**_

If I'm twenty he's got to be forty.

_**So what? You fear no one.**_

I wouldn't go that far, but yeah I'm pretty tired of this.

Cyclonus still had a solid grip on her arm. Stormvolt gently placed her hand on his. If he actually attempted to pistol whip her he would be fried with every bit of power she could spare and she'd deal with the consequences later.

"Stop this foolishness or I'll blast the both of you!" Galvatron said.

"But…," Cyclonus began, already lowering his arm.

"But nothing. Or do you need a reminder of your place around here?"

"Of course not."

Boy, whoever this Galvatron is, he must be a real hard ass for everyone to be so scared. Perhaps it would be smarter to mind her manners.

"As for you, my dear, you won't be seeing Megatron any time soon."

"He's away?"

"Away?" he repeated, laughing. "You might say that. He's dead."

There was silence. Cyclonus watched the reaction. The femme was saying nothing and looked quite stricken. She truly had no idea of what had taken place.

"I don't believe that."

"You're calling me a liar?" Galvatron challenged, with an amused expression as his voice rose in volume. He took a step closer and was near enough that he could swat her head off if he wanted to.

"No, I just…"

"I should destroy you on the spot for that, but I haven't seen anyone with any kind of spine in quite a while," he interrupted, staring pointedly at Cyclonus, who in turn looked noticeably unhappy. What was the deal with those two?

"However, for now I will overlook your audacity. I think there are a few things you need to see."


	6. Chapter 5 Part 2 Painful Truth

Author's note: There's more at the end so I don't give anything away. Transformers still belong to Hasbro and Takara.

A Blessing and a Curse  
By: Quetzal1

Chapter 5 (Part 2)  
Painful Truth

xxxxx

Once more Cybertron was in sight. Stormvolt was no less confused than before. If anything she was worse off. Galvatron had taken Cyclonus aside and told him something and now the two of them were going to right into the Autobots' territory.

"Isn't this kind of dangerous?" She asked.

"Ordinarily, but the fools will make certain exceptions." He didn't seem particularly angry at her, despite being told to fuck off. "Stop here," he said.

They hovered there for a few seconds and then a wary and cross-sounding voice came over the communicators.

"_What do you want, Cyclonus?"_

"I wish to escort a visitor to the surface," he replied, his disgust at having to ask permission obvious.

"_The crypt?"_

"Yes." It was a stupid question, as that was the only place they were allowed to go.

"_Proceed, but be advised that we will have weapons locked onto you while in Cybertronian airspace and a security detail will meet you at that location."_

"Acknowledged," he said, his voice becoming still lower and coated in contempt. "Let's go."

"What's to keep them from locking us up or just killing us outright?" Stormvolt asked. There was no need for clarification about the crypt part of the discussion. She had a pretty good idea of what was coming and was already dreading it.

"What are you talking about?" Cyclonus was baffled. The Autobots were sickeningly righteous. Of course nothing would happen so long as they made no aggressive overtures.

"They lie and they're pure evil. Why wouldn't they take a golden opportunity to rid the universe of two more Decepticons?"

Evil? The Autobots? What in the name of Primus…? And then another possibility occurred to him. He knew from experience that there were parallel universes out there. What if she had somehow gotten here from one of them? It would explain the opposite nature of everything like a Decepticon femme, their faction still on Earth and also ruling Cybertron, Megatron in charge, and best of all, evil Autobots. Of course, that must be it! If he was right, she was about to learn some very grievous things.

xxxxx

The surface of Cybertron was every bit as amazing as Stormvolt had been led to believe. Everything had a metallic shine, even the ground. There were tall, graceful buildings and elevated highways that added to the scenery rather than detracting. Once all this was theirs but now they were relegated to Chaar. It was strange that the Autobots hadn't come after them. A concentrated strike would stand a good chance of wiping them out for good. If things were reversed, you could bet she would land on them like there was no tomorrow.

She followed Cyclonus to an area beside a large structure. The spot was surrounded by heavily armed Autobots. The mech was showing no fear at all, so she would attempt the same, even though landing in their midst felt suicidal.

The enemy looked at her curiously, having been alerted by Springer (who was stuck with sentry duty) that a new Decepticon was about to make the scene. The femme could not recall ever feeling so conspicuous. What were these assholes staring at? She ignored them as well as she could and focused on the business at hand. The building had a peculiar entrance. Once there had been several, but in the interests of security, all of them had been closed except for this one. There was a doorway and then a drop straight down. Cyclonus stood to one side and gestured toward the opening without saying anything. Radar indicated the drop wasn't as far as it looked and so Stormvolt descended into the darkness.

A large fire in the center of the oval shaped room provided an eerie light that was somehow fitting. Forgetting all about her escort, she moved forward and began to check out all the statues against the walls. Initially she did not recognize any of them. There would be a statue on a pedestal or alternately, a container of some kind. Carved into either style of base was the name of the Decepticon interred within and instead of dates, there was the span of time they had functioned. Some of them had a list of the battles in which they served with distinction. Others had a cause of death mentioned, usually something along the lines of "Terminated in action defending the Decepticon Empire in the battle of… " It was nicer than the plain burial near the missile silo that Shadow's remains had received.

Cyclonus entered the room and observed intently but unobtrusively. They progressed through the older sections in a short time. There was no one here that either of them knew. What he was waiting for happened, but much sooner than expected. The femme had gotten a little bit ahead of him and when he turned a corner he discovered her standing before the statue of another seeker and looking like somebody had ripped her spark out.

At first she didn't think she'd read it correctly, casting a glance at the base as she went by. But then she stopped and looked up at the effigy that was scowling down at her from its pedestal and then at the inscription again. It wasn't descriptive like some of the others but the one word there told her all she needed to know. THUNDERCRACKER.

She just stood there staring. Cyclonus read the inscription over her shoulder. Deep in the recesses of his processor, he felt like he should know who that was but he didn't. The femme turned to look at the mech and then gestured at the figure.

"What happened to…." She began to ask in a small voice when something else caught her eye. Another seeker likeness was looming in the flickering light. She stepped around Cyclonus and was able to read the inscription there. STARSCREAM. Son of a bitch. She thought he would live forever (not so much out of strength but more out of his skills as a weasel.)

Before this information had a chance to sink in very far, two more recognizable shapes were spotted. It was Dirge and Ramjet. And then came the worst. Against a wall at the end of that chamber was yet another of her comrades. The mech watched as the blue and silver 'bot approached this figure. She stood there staring up at it for a very long time before gently placing a hand on the pedestal and then resting her head against it. She was blocking part of the inscription but he had already read it: SKYWARP.

For the first time since all the radical changes that had happened to her, Stormvolt wished she were still human. At least then she could cry or puke or something. Instead of a tightening of the throat and prickly feeling in the eyes there was only a dull numbness and a slow growing rage. What the fuck happened? Everyone she had really cared about was gone. She had yet to see Megatron's final resting place but she was sure it was in here somewhere. Undoubtedly that was why she was brought to this place. The rest of it was one big, cruel cosmic joke.

Cyclonus was not expecting this. He had been instructed to show her the marker erected for the previous Decepticon ruler. They had not gotten that far and she looked ready to burn out multiple circuits all at once. Wherever she had come from, there was no way that these reactions were faked.

"All of these warriors died honorably," he said quietly, trying to snap her out of her daze. He considered telling her that Starscream had the most glorious death, as he alone had the privilege of dying by Galvatron's hand, but then decided that probably wouldn't be something she'd agree with right now.

"What happened to them? There's nothing but a name on the markers."

"Dirge and Ramjet were destroyed by Ultra Magnus. Starscream was eliminated for his deceitful ways by Galvatron. I do not know about the others."

Well Starscream's end wasn't such a shock really. He was always asking for it in one way or another and from what she had seen of Galvatron, he was far less patient than Megatron on his best day. And then it also figured that a filthy, piece of scrap Autobot got the others. Probably that's what happened to her two closest friends, too. Those bastards would be made to pay for this, if it took her a million years.

_**That's the way. Find your rage and hold onto it. Use it.**_

Cyclonus watched her go from looking ready to self-destruct in grief to as angry as he had ever seen anyone in his fairly short existence. Her optics blazed bright green and her hands bulged into fists for several seconds before she calmed down and looked at him. "Let's get the rest of this over with," she growled.

xxxxxxxxxxx

Galvatron paced back and forth across the empty room. He had chased the Sweeps out in a blaze of cannon fire, being unable to think with the two of them hanging around. He did not want anyone to witness the process of trying to get around his damaged processor clusters.

There had been no femme Decepticons of any sort in millions of years. Even before the last war had started, their numbers had been small and the few around were destroyed in some of the more larger, violent battles early on. Why did this one seem like someone he should know? Curse Thrull! His damage made accessing memories from his old life extremely difficult. Some days he felt like there was two of him fighting over one mind. A sharp spike of pain tore through his cranial chamber and he grasped his head and pressed his hands hard against both sides. He needed to figure this out and couldn't be deterred by the agony. This always happened now. When he tried for any measure of rationality it brought him horrible pain that lasted for several cycles. It was as though Unicron still controlled him and was punishing him for attempting normalcy.

The hurt faded for the moment and he tried again. The green optics were one thing. This was not the result of Quintesson origins, he felt sure of that. What else? She did not give the impression that there was any fear of Cyclonus, swearing at him like a human the way she did. That reminded him of something too. Just exactly what that something was danced around the edge of his memory taunting him. He tried to concentrate harder and was rewarded with another stabbing pain. It was like a human being unable to remember a name that they could have supplied if no one had asked for it. Erica had occasionally done that. Speaking of humans and names, there was one that hadn't come up in a long time. And then it clicked into place. The femme's insulting of Cyclonus, who could easily obliterate her, was like what the human had done to Starscream. If she had survived would any of this had turned out different? Probably not. He had tried…something to prolong her functioning but could not think of it. The mech made another effort at the answer and then was brought to his knees by the worst pain yet. If there had been anyone there besides him, the sparks shooting from between his fingers as he clutched at his head would have been clearly visible. The tyrant was able to keep from crying out, but just barely. His thoughts faded as he struggled and were gone by the time he could stand again.

xxxxxxxxxxxx

Rank had its privileges all right. It was the biggest likeness she had seen and honestly, it wasn't totally unexpected. Ol' Megatron had had a pretty healthy ego, but still Stormvolt wished he were still around. Rather than a free standing statue, the mech's image was carved out of a wall overtop a doorway. It easily dwarfed anything else. It was slightly crouched and brandishing the cannon, looking as though it could leap from the wall and start blasting any minute. Damn. What force could have brought this about? Cyclonus stood to one side still observing as he was instructed. And without turning to look at him she asked:

"Is Galvatron responsible for this too?"

"No."

"Who, then?"

"I don't know."

She nodded once. "Are we through here?"

"Yes."

"Very well." It wasn't hard to start speaking in their style again. Still looking up at the memorial she snapped from a posture of weariness to strict attention and then swung her right fist up to bang it against the armor just beneath where her collar bone would be were she still human. She held this position for a few seconds, bowed slightly, then swung the arm back down before executing an about face and heading back the way she had come with purpose.

The purple mech was pleased by such a display of military bearing. If he could get half that out of the others, he might have something to work with. Maybe more new Decepticons would show up in search of the femme and he could co-opt them as well. But he was getting ahead of himself. There was no way to know if their leader would let this one survive another day.

xxxxx

Ultra Magnus was feeling uneasy. One new Decepticon wasn't anything to worry about but what if there were a whole lot more where this one came from? And what was taking them so long?

"Hey, did I miss anything?" Springer asked, as he ran up to where the others were waiting.

"It'sjustboringboringboring!" Blur said.

"Aren't you supposed to be sentry right now?"

"Don't worry about it, Magnus. I got Swoop and Sludge to take over for me."

"Great. That really sets my mind at ease." The mech didn't want to think too hard about what kind of things could happen when Dinobots were left unsupervised.

"Hey, I think they're coming back," Silverbolt said.

That got everyone's attention and they all focused on the entrance to the crypt. Sure enough, within a few seconds both Decepticons were emerging back onto the surface. Cyclonus had the same unpleasant but dignified demeanor as usual. The femme looked ready to cause no end of trouble, perhaps beginning right then and there. She stood looking at each Autobot one by one as though marking them.

"If the two of you are done, I think it's time you were on your way," Ultra Magnus said.

"Enjoy it while it lasts!" the seeker hissed at them. "You won't be allowed to get away with what you've done. It will NOT stand!" She longed to inflict any and all manner of pain upon them. Her leader and friends would be avenged.

"Cyclonus…" Magnus said in a warning tone. His enemy needed to get the wayward flier settled down or there would be an incident.

The Decepticon shrugged. "If you had slaughtered my friends _I_ wouldn't be feeling very charitable toward you either," he said. And then shifted his attention to Stormvolt who was possibly even angrier than she'd been previously. "But this isn't the time."

"No. But the time will come, you can bet on that!" She said, and then leapt upwards, transformed and streaked away back toward the wasteland that was now home.

Cyclonus merely smirked at his nemesis and then departed. If he lost her, Galvatron would have his head for a doorstop. He was extremely fast when he wanted to be, despite his size, and it didn't take him long to catch up. The two of them flew on in silence. He was seeing some definite potential here and was becoming less concerned about her origins. He hoped the mighty one would let her live for a while so he could discern whatever possibilities there were to be exploited.

Damn, it was a lot to take in. Back in the starry confines of space she was able to get control of herself. Her charge was getting low and she just wanted to go somewhere and grieve and be miserable in private for a while. Having the entire bottom drop out of your world took a lot out of you.

The return trip wasn't long and soon they were back to the burned out planet.

"I am to return you to Galvatron," Cyclonus said.

"I bet you are."

It would be nice if she didn't talk so much like a human, but he supposed when you'd spent enough time around them your programming would make adjustments that way.

Back inside the shabby throne room Galvatron was waiting. He looked so insolent it just made her more tired. He seemed happy that she had discovered all that had transpired.

"Welcome back. I take it your little field trip was informative?" He asked, practically gloating.

"Yes," Stormvolt replied.

"I see, and what do you say _now_?"

_**Go to hell, that's what.**_

The femme sighed. It was a peculiar mannerism since they didn't breathe. She looked at him for a moment as though she were about to say something she shouldn't and then thought better of it. Cyclonus waited just a little anxiously. This answer would determine her future, if any.

"I'm waiting."

For the second time that day she snapped to attention and gave her version of a salute, sans bow, feeling like a despicable traitor all the while.

"Hail Galvatron," she said.

xxxxxxxxxxxx

Author's note continued: Before you ask "What do you mean Dirge and Ramjet are dead?" that's based on this: You see them get hit by Ultra Magnus and then blow up in one of the _Five Faces of Darkness_ episodes. Then, in _Starscream's Ghost_ when Octane is hiding in the crypt trying to escape Cyclonus and Scourge and looking for a marker to get behind, he does the 'Death comes to he who…" shtick. I know they show up in the background on other episodes and maybe even say something, but there were so many errors that way. In fact, if you look closely you see Thundercracker and Skywarp at Starscream's coronation. But anyway, that's where it came from.


	7. Dirty Little Secrets

Author's Note: I had to lighten it up a little after the last time. Cripes. Don't worry it'll get back to normal. Thanks for reading and commenting. I really do appreciate it. Transformers belongs to Hasbro and Takara, which you knew, but I still feel obligated to remind.

A Blessing and A Curse  
By: Quetzal1

Chapter 6  
Dirty Little Secrets

xxxxx

Fully expecting to be locked up somewhere, Stormvolt was surprised when Galvatron told her to get out of his sight. Outside the building, Cyclonus advised that she not wander too far and then went off about whatever business he had and she was left alone. Why shouldn't she wander? Was it dangerous? She was tired and miserable. The femme made a note of the coordinates for what she presumed to be headquarters and then took to the air to find a nice private spot.

The fairly slow flight via anti-gravity allowed a more detailed view of the area. It looked a lot worse at low speed and close up. She did not recall anyone ever mentioning Chaar. The remnants of the city appeared to be stone, typically. The surface was dirty and there were sharp, skinny peaks of rock towering here and there. This was a world that was organic in part. Or had been. In comparison to Cybertron or Earth it was lacking in a great way. Where was everybody? She had spotted no marker for any Constructicon, Stunticon, or Combaticon, or anyone else in the crypt. No, of course not. Her friends were dead, but a creep like Motormaster survived. (Her new form did not prompt her to change any of her previous feelings about that particular mech.) Her charge indicator had gone from green to orange. Time to pick a spot and go offline for a while.

The flier came across a tall building that was probably taller at some point. Now at the top there was an exposed floor with walls on two sides. That corner was as good a place as any to rest. She touched down and made sure the floor would hold her weight,then tested the walls to see if they might fall on her when she leaned into the corner, and finally, cleared away some debris so there was a place to sit. The vantage point there showed only more of the same. There wasn't a single place that wasn't devastated by whatever had happened here.

It was a comfortable spot and the walls afforded a bit of privacy, not that she was doing anything besides mourning and downing the contents of a compressed energon cube. The sadness and anger felt like a crushing weight in her mind and there was no physical way to express it short of destruction and revenge. Even after what she had seen it didn't seem real. How could they all be gone like this? Naturally any idiot knew war was dangerous, but for so many of them to go at once. Damn. Except for Thrust, she was the lone lawn dart. There was also Blitzwing and Astrotrain evidently, but they had other alt modes. Blastoff was a jerk (even the other Combaticons didn't like him much,) and Vortex was a chopper, which was totally different. She had been anticipating this for such a long time and it was nothing but heartbreak and disaster. How could it be possible that no one would ever fall prey to one of Skywarp's dumb jokes and that the sound barrier was safe from Thundercracker? Nor would Starscream be making any more of his smartass, snotty remarks. And even the indestructible Megatron was no more. It was painful and baffling and considering it only gave her more unfocused anger to carry around.

_**Rage is useful but you have more important concerns.**_

Like what?

_**Like your own predicament, for a start.**_

That was true enough. She could have stayed on Earth, and if she'd known what was waiting here she might have done just that. Earth was big enough she could hide indefinitely and energon was easy to come by. But to stay hidden and hunted for all that time? Then again, this wasn't promising at all thus far. Cyclonus came across as reasonable but certainly not real friendly. Scourge didn't act like he gave much of a rip about anything. And then there was Galvatron. In just the short time she was around him, it was plain that there was something wrong with him. What it was, she couldn't quite figure out. And where did these guys come from? No one had ever mentioned them to her previously. And if Galvatron wasn't responsible for Megatron's destruction, how did that happen? If it had been Autobots wouldn't it be common knowledge? And the Autobots. For a bunch of devious, bloodthirsty killers, they surely acted tolerant. They owned Cybertron and could make the laws, so why allow any Decepticon anywhere near the place? Bah! All she could come up were more and more questions. Perhaps after a brief recharge she could manage an answer. She didn't have to go off line, but it would be nice to get away from all the crap in her mind for a while. Sleep had always helped when she was human. Panels on her wings slid away to expose the light collectors and she gradually went off line as the starlight slowly began to build a charge. When it was certain that it would go unobserved, a dark shape took flight from an adjacent structure.

XxXxXxXxX

"Laserbeak was right," Frenzy said.

"Yeah. I thought he was as crazy as Galvatron at first," Rumble agreed in a low voice. The state of their leader was common knowledge but best not to let it be known or heard that you were actually saying it.

The two small 'bots were peeking over the ledge of what was now the roof of the building. Just as they had been told, there was a femme seeker taking a recharge.

"What do we do?" Frenzy asked.

"This is still our turf, ain't it?"

"Right. Let's go."

They silently flew over to where the interloper remained unaware of them. Frenzy aimed a weapon to cover his comrade while Rumble moved closer and tentatively kicked the lower part of the 'bot's leg.

"Hey!"

Nothing.

"Hey you, wake up!" He said, and delivered a harder kick. That produced a reaction.

Green optics illuminated and the femme looked at them for a couple of seconds before saying a curious thing: "If it wouldn't get me shot, I'd hug both of you."

"What are you talking about?" Insanity seemed to be catching.

"Quit pointing that blaster my way and I'll tell you, Frenzy."

"How did ya know his name?"

"The same way I know yours is Rumble," she said, smiling.

"What the frag is going on here?" Frenzy said. "We don't know you."

"That's where you're wrong. You know me a lot better than you think, but not like this."

"Alright, out with it. Who are you?" Rumble demanded, also pointing a weapon at her. He had little patience for things that made him have to think really hard for extended periods unless it involved large- scale destruction.

"It's going to sound crazy."

"We don't expect anything else."

"And you can't tell anyone what I'm about to tell you. Swear it"

"Fine, we swear."

"These days, my name is Stormvolt. When you saw me last, it was Erica."

The small mechs silently looked at her, then at each other and then back at her again.

Frenzy finally broke the silence. "You _are_ nuts. Everyone knows she was a human."

"Yeah, _was_ a human. Not anymore obviously. I knew you'd never believe it, even if it is the truth."

"Megatron said she was dead," Rumble added, as though it were the definitive word on the subject.

"He probably thought so but he was wrong, for once."

"No way. Ya gotta prove it," Frenzy declared.

"So ask me something only she would know."

The two small Decepticons moved away and went into a huddle. She could tell they were trying to come up with something that would stump her. When they couldn't, would they believe her?

"While we're young, gentlemen," she said, recalling that was something Erica often said to them when a game or some chore became prolonged by their arguing over one thing or another. It worked. They both stopped muttering to each other and stared at her with strange expressions.

"Okay, try this one on for size," Rumble challenged. "What fuel did she like best?"

The seeker didn't even hesitate. "Meat, particularly barbequed beef brisket, except that I was never any good at making it myself. It always came out like a block of leather. Oh, and you two thought I was a cannibal because I liked meat so well."

The pair was stunned. Frenzy made the save. "Anybody coulda told ya that cannibal part."

"Right, but it was Starscream. He told me the night of that party when Thundercracker could fly again. I always liked ol' Screamer much better when he was over-energized. He wasn't such an ass."

"Yeah that's true," Frenzy agreed, which earned him a hard poke in the arm from his twin.

"What else ya got?" Rumble asked.

"Where to start. I taught you guys every human swear I knew and also how to play poker. Remember those spears and knives I had? You guys made them and showed me how to use them. The first thing I killed was that spider drone. That reminds me…." She said, opening a small compartment on one arm and carefully removing something with a thumb and index finger. In the hand she extended toward the pair rested an example of the weapons.

"You coulda got that anywhere," Rumble said unsteadily, gazing at the spear.

"No, there were only two places. One was the underwater HQ, which I couldn't get into because there was no one there to raise the tower, or it's gone or something. Not that it was a big deal since I can't use or don't need the stuff that's still in my room, unless somebody tossed it out. This came from the missile silo in South Dakota. I used it as a walking stick to hold myself up after Shadow took me there when I was shot. I found it one of the tunnels."

Frenzy didn't pick up on much beyond 'Shadow.' Who the frag was….oh yeah, the zombie. He knew the final question that would settle the matter for him.

"What did she call the rest of 'em?"

"Them?"

"You know, the zombies."

"I never liked you guys calling them that. It was pretty mean and…"

"Yeah, yeah, mean. Let's hear the names," Rumble interrupted. It was a good question, so good in fact he wasn't certain if he'd know the right answers himself. They had number designations or had been called 'zombie' by everybody but the human.

"Uh… I already said Shadow, so that leaves Blaze, Shocker, Comet, Bullet, Eight Ball, Zephyr, Sabre, Firestorm and ummmm… ah, who was the other? Oh yeah, Sundog. He never said much, it was easy to forget he was hanging around."

Rumble and Frenzy just looked at her.

"Do I pass?"

"Yeah," they answered in unison and uncertainly.

xxxxx

The three of them sat in a triangle on the rooftop with the two smaller 'bots explaining what had transpired during the absence of the larger. It took a long time because they had to keep stopping to answer questions.

"Starscream did it? I…I guess I shouldn't be shocked, but man that is brutal," the femme said upon hearing what had been the true cause of her friends' demise. "So that's why Galvatron killed him, so he could take charge himself?

"More for revenge. See that's the thing," Rumble said. "We think Galvatron _is_ Megatron. Or was, anyway, and that was just the final straw." The explanation was short and the proof not totally convincing.

"But I talked to him and he's nothing like Megatron. He sort of looks like him in some ways and maybe sounds like him just a bit but that's all."

"No, he's not like him _now_, but he was." Then came the explanation of reformatting and the way it could create someone new from a pre-existing mech although in this case it was like a new can with the old contents. The evidence was mostly circumstantial but made a good argument.

Stormvolt only had to interrupt once to ask: "What the hell is a 'Unicron?' " She had some answers now, though it didn't really make her feel any better.

"Enough of the ancient history," said Frenzy. "What we wanna know is how you got like that."

"Yeah, and how you got here," Rumble added.

She told them the story starting from arriving back at the silo near death up to her visit to the crypt just hours ago.

"You were in the crypt, huh? Did you see the plaque?" Rumble asked.

"What plaque?"

"There's one on the wall in a connecting hallway. It's got an engraving of you, well, the old you, on it."

"Really?"

"Yeah. Skywarp put it there."

"He did? No, I didn't see it," she said, disappointed. "I wasn't in a real clear frame of mind. Damn."

"He was pretty mopey for a while after we came back to Cybertron but doing that looked like it cheered him up a little. You guys were tighter than we thought, huh?" Frenzy said.

"Pretty tight. I am really going to miss him and Thundercracker. That fucking Starscream. Unbelievable," she said quietly.

"Nobody's too happy around here," Rumble said.

"And where is everybody?" Stormvolt asked.

"Things are a lot different now. We all kind of keep to ourselves," Frenzy said.

"Every 'bot for himself, eh?"

"Exactly. Unless we're on some mission, and the few we've been on didn't seem to have a whole lot of point to 'em."

"Yeah, listen," Rumble said in a confidential manner, scooting closer to the seeker and glancing around. "You want to be REAL careful of Galvatron. He was all right at first, but since they brought him back from Thrull he's just totally what you used to call 'full-on batshit crazy.'"

The small mech's use of the term made her smile.

"Hey, I'm dead serious here. And even while he's freakin' out, Cyclonus thinks he can do no wrong, so there's no help there." His optics did not change but Stormvolt had the distinct idea he was scowling at her.

"I noticed he gave the impression of being more devoted than your normal 'Con." She couldn't remember the proper term for her next question. "Are they…you know, like, a couple or…"

Rumble glanced over at Frenzy and the two of them laughed themselves silly for over a minute.

"We think Cyclonus wishes that was it," Frenzy said, finally getting himself under control. "If anybody here had anything to bet, we'd be running a pool on it."

"It's even worse than the way Shockwave used to be," Rumble said. " And boy, is that guy miserable now."

"Ah, Shockwave. I always suspected he possibly had a thing for Megatron."

"Did he ever! And sometimes we thought maybe Starscream did too."

"Get out of here! Starscream hated him."

"Mmm hmmm. But did ya ever wonder why? And it was obvious that he was so slaggin' jealous of Shockwave he couldn't stand it."

"Wow."

"But they were both wastin' their time," Frenzy said, shaking his head wisely.

"They were?"

"Sure. It may be a pretty lucky thing for ya that Megatron's gone, now that I think of it."

"How could that be lucky? I got along with him just fine. He was scary but not insane or anything."

"No, but…" the small, red mech leaned closer with a secretive air, "Megatron _really _liked the femmes."

"Seriously?"

"If I'm lyin', I'm dyin'."

"But I thought having a preference that way was considered unusual."

"It's kinda weird, but who was gonna say anything about it? Not us."

"Thanks, now I'm all creeped out," she said, thinking of being patted on the head and such numerous times over the years. "You don't think that back when I was still human …"

"Oh, that's gross!" Rumble interrupted, even as he was in danger of falling over from laughing so hard.

"The boss had some kinks in his circuits but he wasn't a _pervert_," Frenzy said, in between fits of laughter.

Stormvolt felt rather dumb, and more than a little embarrassed but also very relieved. "Glad to hear it."

Eventually the pair got themselves under control.

"So how do ya like being a transformer?" Frenzy asked.

"You know, it's got more similarities to being human than I would have thought, but at the same time it's entirely different."

"Do you miss being human?"

"Parts of it, but not as much as I would have thought."

They stood there a few moments. It was good to be among friends again.

"Are Soundwave and Ravage and those guys alright?"

"For the most part," Rumble said.

"Soundwave doesn't have as much to do anymore, and it's not easy on him to be around Galvatron," Frenzy added.

"It depresses him? Cyclonus looks to be the second in charge and that guy Scourge acts like he's up there too."

"Not so much that. It's tough to be around such a case of the deep down crazies."

The seeker shook her head, uncomprehending of the implication.

"You know, because of the telepathy," Rumble said.

"Telepathy?"

"What, ya didn't know Soundwave could read minds?"

"No. That would have been nice to know before now."

"Anyway, he can't not hear Galvatron if he has to be around him for too long or too often. He's getting better at blocking it, but it's still pretty hard on him, so he stays away from him as much as possible."

"Poor guy. Of course all the secrecy I swore you to was pointless around him."

The smaller mechs nodded in agreement and Rumble was about to say something more but Frenzy tapped him on the arm and jerked his head toward the sky. The trio turned to see a couple of Sweeps descending toward them. They did not land but came as far as the edge of the roof.

"Galvatron wishes to speak with you," the Sweep on the left said, pointing at Stormvolt.

"Right now?"

"We do not recommend you keep him waiting," advised the other Sweep.

"Where have I heard that before? Alright." Then she turned back to her friends. "I'll catch you later, boys."

"Remember what we told ya," Rumble said, tapping a finger against the side of his head.

"Don't worry about that." It was true. She had plenty of new material to ponder and none of it was anything she was going to forget. And now something else was happening. She knew where to go and so transformed and shot away.

"You pipsqueaks need to find Soundwave and then come to the assembly area. Galvatron's orders,"

"What's goin' on?" Frenzy asked, ignoring the 'pipsqueaks' but mentally adding another black mark next to the Sweep on his payback list.

"You'll see."

xxxxx

Cyclonus stood on one end of the makeshift platform outside their temporary headquarters. The new arrival was nearby and observing the crowd with uneasy interest. Scourge was on the other end and looking bored. This assembly was Galvatron's idea in part. He had been in the midst of a tirade about the state of things when he suddenly stopped and asked his second in command what he made of the femme.

xxx

"I think she could potentially make a good soldier, Mighty one. But that is your decision of course."

"Oh, you think so, do you? Well then, that will be your responsibility provided she survives."

"Survives?"

"Yes, you dolt! You don't think I'm going to allow every stray that wanders in to join us do you?"

"No, certainly not." There was no chance he would ask what was in store for their guest, but it was likely going to be very unpleasant.

xxxxx

Stormvolt did not like the direction that things were taking. She was introduced to the crowd and then seemingly forgotten as Galvatron proceeded to stalk back and forth explaining to them that because there was no longer a Decepticon war academy, there would be a new way to determine those who were worthy to join their ranks. Shit, she was going to be a test case.

There would be three tasks that a candidate must first survive and then complete successfully.

The mech suddenly turned and approached her. "The first thing you must do, my would-be seeker, is locate a signal beacon hidden somewhere on Chaar and bring it back here before time runs out,"

"How long do I have?"

"You'll know when your time is up, because the device will explode."

"Explode?"

"Yes, it will tear you into tiny bits of scrap if you aren't quick enough, which should leave no room for doubt as to how successful you are. DO YOU HAVE SOME KIND OF PROBLEM WITH THAT?"

Stormvolt could hear a few muffled snickers in the crowd. They were such a sympathetic lot. Well, it was one thing that hadn't changed while she was gone.

_**YOU are what I have a problem with, arrogant, glitched up piece of GARBAGE!**_

"No, my Lord, not at all," she said, standing her ground instead of cringing away from him while hiding the nearly sickening wave of rage that roared within her mind. The voice was pissed now and the thing was, she didn't even feel angry, just worried.

"Good, but I suggest you move. The clock is already ticking.


	8. So You Want to Be A Decepticon

Author's note: Transformers belong to Hasbro and Takara. Thanks for reading and for the comments.

A Blessing and A Curse  
By: Quetzal1

Chapter 7  
So You Want To Be a Decepticon

xxxxx

Chaar was a dump, but it was a _small_ dump. That was the only thing in her favor that Stormvolt could think of. That and the fact there wasn't much ground cover. She was flying low and fast over the planet's surface as her systems repeatedly scanned for a signal along all bandwidths and subspace. It was like looking for a needle in a haystack. An explosive needle that she might not recognize if she saw it. What kind of bullshit was this? Maybe she shouldn't be too freaked out. There was a chance she could somehow pull this off, as opposed to some other task that Galvatron could have come up with. At least he wasn't making her fight to the death, as far as she knew.

_**Worry about that if it happens. Right now you need to focus.**_

True enough, and nice of you to calm down.

That had been pretty freaky. Usually the voice reacted to her feelings and thoughts. The last outburst had brought back the old, gentle, nagging feeling that it was somehow acting separately now and then. A dumb idea of course, but that was the way it felt.

The others had regarded her with little more than slight curiosity. Rumble and Frenzy had played it cool, not giving any sign of knowing her (despite having been spotted talking to her by the Sweeps.) That was good though, since they were supposed to be keeping a secret. It was obvious that deprivation was rampant here. In their mood it was probably next to impossible to get the remnants of the once huge army interested in anything. The entire crowd looked as though they had had a rough way to go and acted as if they did not expect a change in circumstances any time soon. They were dirty and damaged and made the femme feel kind of overdressed for the occasion, so to speak. And now that she had been clued in, it was difficult to understand how she could have missed Galvatron's condition. He behaved like he was on the verge of a meltdown of some kind (almost certainly violent) every second. His voice would go from normal to enraged within the course of the same sentence, and he appeared unable to stand still. She had expected to be hit when he addressed her directly. No wonder the others seemed ill at ease. Even those creepy Sweeps were not unaffected. They reminded her of the old cowboy movies where the horses would get spooked by something no one else could see yet. How in hell could Cyclonus revere this manic the way he did? It _must_ be love. The idea made her grin unconsciously.

_**Would you concentrate please? It's just your life riding on this.**_

Before Stormvolt could reply the scan display stopped on a frequency and indicated the signal strength, blinking insistently. It was very weak. Was that because it was small or she was just far away? It did not take much effort to triangulate the source and then the reason for the weakness was apparent. The signal was coming from within a deep chasm in the ground. Radar indicated that the narrow fissure opened out into an underground cavern. Huh. That wasn't so hard. She switched back to robot mode and began to descend through the tight space. Radar guided her to the cavern and then gave way to night vision. What did this beacon look like? The signal was bouncing around and off the walls, which gave it the appearance of being everywhere. Okay, so maybe it would be harder than she thought. There were no signs of life, just rocks and tunnels. Measuring the signal strength at each tunnel opening finally revealed the correct way to go.

It didn't escape her notice that for something that flew, she spent an awful lot of time underground. Night vision went back to radar as she walked farther into the tunnel. It went on and on in total blackness. There were no sounds but the ones she made walking carefully along despite the fact that she was trying to be quiet. The end was in sight after a few minutes as it began to get light again where the tunnel terminated in another, larger cavern. The ceiling was zigzagged with cracks that allowed in the feeble light. The parts that were not cracked had stalactites dangling down and approximating monstrous teeth. The signal was maxing out her indicators, so it must be right here someplace. She examined the area for a few seconds before spotting something that did not belong.

Near the center of the chamber was another huge split in the ground. Covering a section of the gap was an intricate, lacy, net-like formation of something that looked similar to stone. Balanced in the center of that was a metal box. Ah ha!

Stormvolt cranked up the anti-gravity and went out to fetch the object. Interesting. From above, the arrangement looked a lot like a web. It was almost pretty, but whatever. There was no time to appreciate the geology. Perhaps later. The box was made of dented, rusty metal but the welds that held it together were new. She couldn't hear it ticking or making a noise of any kind. Once back on the ground, she studied the item again. It didn't look very threatening, but that was when it surprised her.

xxxxx

Cyclonus was having doubts about the whole endeavor, and doubting anything that had to do with Galvatron was an extremely rare event for him. It made him uneasy and short tempered. Why would their leader think this was necessary? There were faster and easier ways to determine if someone was fit to be a soldier and if it turned out they were not, then there were other uses for them. It seemed wasteful considering how few in number they were. But it would be nice to get a warrior who was worth the energon they used for a change. The task of ever bettering their lot felt so much closer to impossible when it was just himself, Galvatron and Scourge to get the job done. (His feeling on the Sweeps varied depending on how successful they had recently been at some appointed task.) After a few moments' consideration he decided that it would not be treasonous to root for the femme. After all, Galvatron had devised these tests to decide if she was good enough to join them, not to get rid of her outright. He would, however keep these thoughts to himself as usual.

Scourge had remained on Chaar to await the outcome of the first test. The rest of them had come to a desolate moon not far away, but private as the planet it orbited was useless to anyone and possibly the one place worse than their new home. Big, deep craters marred the moonscape and over a particularly large depression the Constructicons had erected the necessary apparatus for the next test. The Sweeps were due back anytime with the item required for the final test. Whatever his reservations, Cyclonus had to admit that this event was having a positive effect on morale. Most times when everyone was assembled together they were sullen and interacted only with those in their own group. Those without cliques were shunned by the others, especially someone like Thrust who, as the only seeker, was ridiculed even more than usual by the ground based individuals. Today was the first time since before the return of Galvatron that they were acting almost normal. The mechs were having several discussions regarding the newcomer's chances on the second test.

"You are out of your fraggin' mind," said Brawl.

"No I'm not. It isn't that hard to manage," Bonecrusher replied.

"Not for you or me, but this is a femme we're talkin' about. They're smaller and lighter."

"A _Decepticon _femme, which is different."

"Not until she passes the tests."

"Just a formality. I'd take her chances over an Autobot any day."

"I don't know about that. Some of those Autobot femmes are pretty tough for their size," Dragstrip said as he joined the discussion.

"I _know_ that, but being a Decepticon, official or not is just _different,_" Bonecrusher reiterated.

"You got no idea how different," Rumble muttered as he walked by. No one heard him. It killed him that he and Frenzy had to pass up such a great opportunity. Back in the old days they would have cleaned up with many wagers on the outcomes of these events but now they couldn't even get the others to bet their energon rations since they were so desperately needed. Not only that, but Soundwave had told them to feign ignorance of anything and everything concerning Stormvolt. They did not need to draw the attention of their "leader" or his thugs.

"What do ya think?" He said to Frenzy, who was casually leaning against Ravage, both of them looking down into the crater at the next obstacle to be overcome.

"She's got her work cut out for her, that's for sure,"

"You're not worried are ya?"

"Not exactly, but this sure ain't no spider drone."

xxxxx

Damn, that hurt! Stormvolt unsteadily got back to a standing position. At first she thought the cube had exploded. But then after discovering she was in one piece, albeit blown against the side of a big chunk of rock about twenty feet away, she realized what happened. The thing had shocker her, but how? Electricity was supposed to be a good thing.

_**You were not in the air. Next time try not grounding yourself.**_

Oh yeah, right. No one had said anything about it zapping her, though. If it didn't detonate first, she could build up the voltage scatter charge if it did it again. Now, though, it was time to get the hell out of Dodge. The device was lying on the ground near the chasm. It was lucky she didn't drop it down there. The seeker carefully got airborne before scooping the object from the ground. The fastest way out was straight up. If the cracks in the ceiling were not big enough, she would simply blast a larger opening.

She started upward and had gone several yards when progress was abruptly halted. Something was tightening around one leg and beginning to pull. What now? Was she caught on something?

When she looked down it was with the expectation of seeing some kind of vine or wire not the soft, white, ropy tentacles of a Chaar spider. It was quite a bit different from those on Earth. To the blue flier it resembled something that should have been in that old movie, _The Dark Crystal_. Oddly, she felt not even a flicker of fear, just a bright, blinding fury.

The arachnid started to retrieve its prey. The 'bot drifted to one side and carefully placed something on a large protrusion of rock high off the ground, but didn't really struggle. It drew closer and closer. The last time one of these things wandered into its lair, the spider had watched from the darkest corner. It had come in, done something and then departed quickly. It didn't look dangerous or particularly strong. The spider decided in its rudimentary mind if that one or one of its fellows came back, it would be a snack.

Stormvolt allowed herself to be reeled in to a short distance from the spider's drooling maw before reaching down and sinking the thumb and index finger of one hand into the slimy appendage and giving it a brief, intense shock. A short section of the tentacle nearest the charge lit up like the tube in a florescent light. The beast shrieked and immediately released her. Perhaps it was her new form, or the desire to be a Decepticon. Maybe whatever drove the voice in her head played a part. Either way this encounter was going to prove a most unfortunate thing for the creature.

"That was so very unwise," the femme snarled, voice dropping in pitch, rising in volume and growing raspier. "Here, let me show you why!"

The spider understood nothing that was said to it, but suddenly had the idea that these things might not be good to eat after all. It scrambled backward and was unprepared when its one time prey launched at it, firing engines for added thrust and landing on the side of its face. She once again dug her fingers into the creature's flesh before releasing a deadly amount of electricity. The Chaar spider screamed while its flesh blistered and began to smoke. It thrashed and clawed at its face trying and failing to dislodge the source of the agony.

"DIE!" Stormvolt roared at the arachnid, even as a patch of fuzz on its head burst into flame. Finally, in the interests of conserving power, and because it was dead, she released it. She felt as though she might go off line for a few moments, but then her internal systems equalized and there was a brief pause as she pondered just what had come over her. It was like she had blacked out for a minute or two. One minute she was caught, the next, she was clinging to the side of the thing's flaming head and zapping the living shit out of it. That was really bizarre. But there was no time to think about it.

_**Wait. You need to take a souvenir.**_

There's nothing in here I want.

_**Not for you, for THEM. You need to make an impression.**_

I get it. You think _I _need to make _them_ think that I'm one bad bitch, mechanized death and all that, right?

_**Yes, to dispel any skepticism about your talent.**_

Okay. What should it be?

xxxxx

Scourge had no idea how long he was supposed to wait. The hunter was sitting on the rooftop of their headquarters, scanning the horizon. For all he knew the femme hadn't even found the beacon yet. Or she could be lost. Or possibly one of the Chaar spiders got her. Galvatron had specifically told Cyclonus to put the device where it would be likely to rouse one of the disgusting things.

What a life he was leading. As he often did when he was alone and bored, Scourge wondered what the purpose of it all was. They could keep fighting, but it was grueling when just basic survival was far from a sure thing. It would never, ever happen, but sometimes, way back in his processors he wondered what would happen if he were to defect to the other side and become an Autobot. He could live in relative comfort and not have to worry about where the next batch of energon was coming from. He'd be a marked mech after that though. Galvatron would completely come unglued and send everything he had after him. The energon in his conduits ran a little cold at the idea of encountering Sweeps or Cyclonus from the wrong side in some dark corner of space. And besides, the Autobots were a little too rah-rah for his tastes anyway.

As he stood up on his perch, something caught his keen optics. He zoomed in and saw that his wait was over. It was Stormvolt carrying the beacon and something else. Primus, was that what it looked like?

The 'bot got back to the checkpoint and set down her not so subtle memento before bringing the rusty metal box to Scourge.

"Here you go," she said. "You'd better be careful. This thing is shorting out."

"Not a problem," he replied, tossing the beacon away before hitting it with laser fire, melting it into a glob.

"Shouldn't that have blown up?"

Scourge just shrugged indifferently. Yes, it should have blown up, if there really had been a bomb in it that is. He had known it was just a beacon. And for all their fearsome appearance, a Chaar spider wasn't _that_ tough, especially a young one. Their leader wanted to build the seeker's confidence a little before yanking the rug out from under her and so he would let her think she had made a major accomplishment. Plus, if she were killed doing a boring thing such as this, then they wouldn't have the fun of watching the next part. Nobody loved blood sport like Galvatron.

"Where is everyone?" It figured that she'd go to all the trouble of bringing back the ruined remains of the spider's head (boy, had removing that been nasty) and nobody was there to see it.

"They're waiting for us. The next trial isn't far from here, let's go." Scourge said, taking flight without waiting to see if she would follow. He glanced back to make sure she was coming and also to look at the gory prize sitting in the assembly area with minute tendrils of smoke drifting from several spots. If she survived, she'd fit right in.

xxxxx

Scourge had alerted the others to their approach and when they arrived, Galvatron stood facing his troops with the crater, its top covered by a cage, on his right. Cyclonus stood impassive by the open door. When he advised of their impending arrival, the hunter had told him briefly about the severed head. He had to admit that was a nice touch.

"Welcome, Stormvolt," Galvatron said, as she and Scourge touched down in the space between the warlord and his minions.

**_Cram it up your exhaust _sideways!**

"Greetings Lord Galvatron," she replied, still hating the way that sounded and actively reminding herself not to slip and call him Megatron.

"I hope you are prepared for the next task."

She was not as prepared as she'd hoped to be. The beacon had shocked her only twice more and it was enough to get things to where they were before she'd killed the spider. No gain, but no loss either.

"Behold!" Galvatron said, not waiting for a reply and gesturing toward the open door on the cage.

Stormvolt warily approached the crater and peered into its depths. There was something down there. It was another mech, but it was restrained by several dimly glowing bands. She had not seen anything like it before. It was short but big and very rotund and it wasn't possible to discern what its alt mode was. It looked strong sitting on the floor of the crater, waiting.

"The test is over when only one of you remains functional!" Galvatron said, with malicious glee.

"Well slag me," she muttered. It was going to be a real life steel cage death match. She felt a hand on her back, resting gently between the wings and just above the canopy. Cyclonus leaned toward her as though to look over her shoulder.

"That is a Sharkticon. They are strong and vicious but also slow and very stupid. Watch out for the tail," he said quickly and quietly near her right side audio sensor. And then the gentle hand turned rough as she was shoved through the door and into the crater.

The seeker landed in the dust not far from her new adversary who was still bound by the straps.

"There is only one rule," Galvatron said. "Your competitor is unarmed, so you may not use your cannons. Instead you must eliminate him with these." Upon that announcement, an assortment of weapons was thrown down to the combatants. There was a sword, a crude sort of mace, an axe and a lance. "And of course he may do likewise."

The door slammed closed and she heard a latch scrape into place. The impellers in her fuel pump began to speed up in anticipation of what was coming. The lance had a long, heavy shank and an outsized blade at one end. It was far less graceful than the spears she had used what seemed like a thousand years ago, but it was the most similar and familiar of the four implements. She grabbed it from the pile and backed as far away as she could get as the glowing restraints on the Sharkticon faded and then disappeared.


	9. Circularity

Author's note: I borrowed a tiny bit from the IDW comic in this one, because honestly they have a far better origin for Megatron than the cartoon ever did. Anyway, thanks for reading and commenting. Transformers belongs to Hasbro and Takara, but you know that.

A Blessing and A Curse  
By: Quetzal1

Chapter 8  
Circularity

xxxxx

The Sharkticon was free but evidently in no hurry to do anything. He stood up and looked around curiously, particularly at the top of the crater where all the Decepticons had formed a solid ring around the base of the cage. They watched silently at first but soon became fed up with the non-event.

"Come on, one of you start something!"

"Yeah, this is supposed to be a fight!" The others joined in and quickly it was a cacophony of overlapping voices, all of them wanting to see some action.

Stormvolt was ignoring them and watching the stout mech just kind of stand there. She was holding the lance in a position to stab at him if he came near her, but he seemed to have no interest and it wouldn't be real sporting to give him a jab while he wasn't paying attention. The antagonizing voices were beginning to upset the thing, though. He was glancing this way and that, confused and on edge but still minding his manners.

xxxxx

Cyclonus was just about as equally confused. Why didn't she just run it through with the weapon and be done with it? If she survived, and the odds were looking pretty good at this point, he would have to have a word with her about this lack of aggressiveness. He turned to see how Galvatron was reacting to the whole affair and discovered him speaking with Motormaster about something and wearing a very pleased expression. The Stunticon was an underhanded instigator and growing bolder all the time. What could he be up to? Scourge was standing near them and he missed nothing. When Motormaster left, Cyclonus motioned the hunter over.

"Now we'll see something," Scourge said, as he got closer.

"What do you mean?"

"I hate to admit it, but that big hunk of scrap just had a great idea, watch," he said gesturing. Motormaster handed a dimly glowing energon cube to Wildrider, who rose and hovered over the dome of the cage about halfway up. He carefully positioned himself and waited a few seconds before dumping the contents of the cube down into the crater. Cyclonus instantly knew what would happen now. Perhaps there wouldn't be an opportunity to discuss her non-aggression after all.

xxxxx

The femme was still carefully observing the Sharkticon when suddenly a warm substance hit her, and everything went a dirty pink color for a few seconds. She cleared her optics and discovered that she was coated in energon. What the fuck was that for? It was like the prom scene in _Carrie._ Then it became painfully apparent. The Sharkticon was staring at her as though hypnotized. She moved away a little more and he turned to intently follow the motion. Out of nowhere an old insult/joke came from her memory: 'You're so ugly your mama had to hang a pork chop around your neck just to get the dog to play with you.'

Crap. It really was a sort of pork chop. This was a SHARKticon and transformers didn't bleed blood they bled energon, among other things. Someone was going to take an ass beating if she got out of this.

**_Oh, _now_ you get angry._**

I don't recall hearing any pearls of wisdom out of you, buddy.

_**Who would think you'd need any ideas in something this simple?**_

Are you on my side or what?

_**Focus.**_

She continued to brandish the lance, nearly dropping it now that it and her hands were slippery with energon, but her adversary only watched. Then he began to approach. Slowly. She made repeated feints in one direction and then moved in another and he fell for it each time. Yup, stupid too. Having had enough of this, the Sharkticon revealed his alt mode. It appeared to be at least half big jagged teeth. The teeth began to repeatedly clash together as the beast approached. Stormvolt crouched, grasping the lance and waited as he got closer and closer. The plan was to let him get near enough that she could ram the weapon right down his throat. But, what was that last thing she was supposed to watch out for?

Just about the time she was ready to let him have it the Sharkticon stopped and leaned to one side as though turning and the seeker suddenly found herself once again flying end over end out of control before slamming into the side of the crater. Oh right, the tail. Cyclonus had told her to watch out for the tail. Well now she knew why. Not unlike an alligator, the monster had attempted to knock her off her feet by swinging the appendage around into her legs. The problem was, he aimed a little too high. A cheer went up from the crowd. So much for supporting the home team.

Stormvolt was partly embedded in the soft, gravelly dirt and dust in the side of the crater. It was a good thing too, because the Sharkticon was in an absolute rage trying to climb up to her location to finish the job. The smell of the fresh energon was making it crazy. It tried to run up but the ground kept giving way beneath its short legs and dumping it at the bottom again. Finally, it began to thrash at the slope with its tail over and over. As far up as she was, the femme could feel the ground shake and small pebbles bounced and rolled down. She would need to do something pretty quick.

xxxxx

Rumble and Frenzy were trying to act noncommittal but it was hard. Ordinarily they would have appreciated the cleverness of inciting the Sharkticon, but since it was their friend they considered it a dirty trick. All around them the crowd was catcalling the femme, except for Thrust who just looked unhappy the way he did most of the time, Galvatron who was watching with a smug smile, Scourge who seemed rather bored even though he had initially been anxious to see what would happen, and Cyclonus who appeared mildly curious but not invested in the outcome although he had effectively silenced both Sweeps (just returned from their assignment) with a malevolent glare when they started to join the others in shouting abuse.

"I can't believe these guys," Frenzy said, disgusted.

"I know. Bunch of morons," Rumble agreed. They could have been well on their way to causing a brawl outside the cage if not for a calming hand placed on their shoulders. Soundwave could feel their frustrations of course, but they would just have to live with it for now. He said nothing to them but nodded in the negative and it was all the admonishing the small mechs required.

Though brief, this exchange wasn't unnoticed. Those two loved a fight as much as anyone (of course they liked it best when they got to be participants) and yet they were not happy. Why would that be the case? Cyclonus turned his attention away from the pair and back to the cage. He had tried to even the odds for all the good it had done. The one thing he had specifically warned her about and she blundered right into it. Another thing that would need to be addressed if she were to survive and he wasn't so sure about that anymore. He glanced over at Galvatron who was watching silently and seemed lost in thought.

Gladiatorial combat was a beautiful thing, but this was kind of disappointing. Galvatron was not impressed with what he had seen thus far. A faint memory waited at the edge of his mind and a small wave of pain shoved it farther away. Eh, who cared why he liked this so much? It did have a strong sense of familiarity though.

xxxxx

The Sharkticon was not giving up. He had made a pretty good depression and some of the hill was starting to slide downward. Stormvolt carefully scooted over to one side to avoid falling and felt a dull ache in one hip. There was a scrape and slight dent in her armor from the tail, but otherwise she was okay. The lance was at the bottom of the incline well out of reach. What did she do now?

_**You know what your problem is?**_

Great, a lecture. What is it?

_**You still think like a human**_.

Mmm, no shit?

_**It would be hugely beneficial to consider this in another light**_. The voice ignored her sarcasm.

Like?

_**You avoid this thing as though you are still a pathetic little flesh creature and do not even consider your own strength. Look at it. To have a chassis like that it would have to be mostly hollow. You would likely have the advantage of weight.**_

Yeah, I'm not so sure about weight. That armor is pretty thick. And the thing's supposed to be really strong.

_**And you aren't?**_

That was something to consider. For all her practice flying and such, she had never actually fought anyone hand to hand in her new form. Ambushing Powerglide was as close as she had gotten.

_**It, and it is an "it" not a "he", is just attacking in a blind frenzy. If you were to apply a little strategy, you could defeat it.**_

I don't know. I can't say as I fancy having an arm bitten off or something.

_**So be careful. Think about what you're doing. Put those processors to use. And anyway, even if it did bite off your arm, you could reattach it or fabricate a new one**_.

But that would really hurt wouldn't it?

_**Like you would not believe.**_

The entire discussion took place in only a few seconds, and it wasn't wasted time.

Okay, strategy. It had no weapons…except for that tail and those great big teeth. If the tail were gone, it would probably only charge around after her since it didn't seem to have sense enough to use any of the instruments lying about. It had arms but they were short and not so well suited to that body even if it did pick up a sword or something. She began to get an idea that maybe she really could beat it. The first order of business was to get down there and grab that axe. Just running down wasn't going to work because the beast could easily meet her and antigravity flight was no good because it was also too slow, nor was there room to fly if she transformed. And then a plan took shape.

The Sharkticon was angry and frustrated. It so badly wanted to tear the 'bot apart and feed on the energon within but it could not get to her. Repeatedly bashing the embankment caused a minor landslide but the target had already moved. She just sat there watching, doing nothing further. And so it had moved over to that spot and began the attempt anew, finally stopping as the target got to her feet and then leapt outward. He was expecting her to fly but she only hung in the air long enough to swing her feet down underneath her and then plummeted toward the ground.

Stormvolt could not believe the thing was just standing there but she didn't have time to mull it over. She cut off the anti-gravity and dropped at an angle toward the Sharkticon. Just a split second before impact she moved her feet apart to avoid ending up inside the gigantic jaws, effectively placing one between its eyes and another on its lower jaw and driving it to the ground on its back before again using anti-gravity to minimize her own impact. Her legs pushed away from the fallen mech and just for showmanship she turned a forward flip before landing on the dusty ground. The crowd was silent for a split second and then roared its approval.

What a fickle gang of assholes.

_**Never mind them. Grab the axe and get busy!**_

The pile of weapons had been disturbed no further since she had removed the lance and it was easy to find and grab the double bladed implement.

The Sharkticon had been stunned by the blow and its design made it awkward for it to get up quickly. It was just getting to its feet when a shadow fell across it. The next thing it knew, there was a fiery pain flaring up its spinal framework as the axe severed its heavy tail. The beast flung a thick stream of hydraulic fluid as it turned and tried to retaliate. The femme anticipated this and was ready. She reared back and swung the axe as hard as she could the minute her adversary turned and faced her. Sparks flew and metal shrieked as the blade imbedded itself in the Sharkticon's armor.

The crowd roared again and the racket was almost enough to drown out the noise coming from the injured beast. Incredibly, though various mechanical fluids were running from the wound, it did not fall. Instead it stared down at the tool still imbedded in its side and then snapped the metal handle off as though it were a twig. Uh-oh. She had tried to kill it and only made it mad. There was a distinct 'whoosh' as it swung the broken handle at her. The femme began slowly backing away as the Sharkticon advanced, swinging the handle and not coming close…until she tripped over the mace and sword still lying on the ground. Her equilibrium circuits compensated for the stumble and she fell forward with more control. She could have easily avoided a fall that way if she hadn't moved right into the arc of the handle. The resounding bang echoed around the crater as the handle contacted her head and the crowd suddenly got quiet.

Shit! The strike had knocked her onto her side and scrambled her vision. Man, that hurt. She clutched her head a second or two before remembering that something that wanted her dead was likely extremely close now. As her vision skipped and dissolved in and out of static, she found the sword and held it out, swinging it in short strokes while sitting on the ground and waiting for her sight to clear.

_**What are you doing?**_

I can't see to run, you know that.

_**Primus! What is wrong with you? Switch to radar or something.**_

Did it even work? She found that it did and though she could not see what specifically the Sharkticon was doing, she could stay away from him.

It was a lucky thing for her that the thing was so slow and dumb. The others were now flinging insults at it rather than her, which wouldn't do much, but one of them had seen fit to include a rock as well. The hollow bell-like sound made by the rock striking the round body distracted the mech for a few seconds, but it wasn't long before it turned back to its original target.

Internal diagnostics and repairs were steadily at work on her damage. Radar snapped back to normal vision just as a connection was temporarily broken within her equilibrium circuits and she went down again. There was only time to glance up and see that the Sharkticon was already upon her. Dizzy and feeling as though she had just stepped from some crazy spinning amusement park ride, she raised the sword and shoved it forward as hard as she could.

To those Decepticons who were at the Sharkticon's back, there was just the sound of rending metal. They were certain that the femme was thoroughly deactivated. Among that group were Rumble and Frenzy. The latter had been resting a hand on Ravage and clamped down so hard at the sound of ripping metal that the mechanoid cat yelped and growled at him.

Soundwave could feel the fear and concern from the small pair. On the outside the mech was cold and unfeeling, but the truth was that he had a permanent low-key variety of telepathic link with all the cassettes and when they were not happy it caused him a great deal of distress. They were generally not very friendly to anyone outside their own little "family", so someone new that they actually liked was quite a novelty and held their interest intently. It was going to be difficult for them to hide what they knew. He had never encouraged their friendship with Megatron's human, knowing that she would have a very short lifespan comparatively speaking and if they got attached, they would be that much more unhappy when she finally ceased functioning. When it actually happened they had been kind of mopey, but going back to Cybertron had snapped them out of it very quickly. And now it seemed she was back, but how? The femme's mind wasn't exactly an open book. In fact, it was like there were two beings in there, but he could only sense her side of things. Most peculiar indeed but likely a side effect of whatever the process was that rendered this form from that of an organic.

The Sharkticon fell over, still snapping at the flier who unsteadily moved away. With his abilities Soundwave had heard the squall of anguish from the beast's simple mind. In its clumsy way it knew that deactivation was imminent. There were sounds of surprise from the others in the crowd around him and he felt a rush of relief from Rumble and Frenzy.

xxxxx

What a lucky shot that had been.

_**Yes, well you don't have to let anyone know that. Make it appear intentional.**_

How?

_**Finish this. And make it look good.**_

And the crowd was sharing the sentiment.

"Off that piece of scrap!"

"Tear it to pieces!"

"Rip out his spark and feed it to him!"

Well, evidently they were not disappointed that she finally brought it down, which was good. Stormvolt had managed to stand but she still felt woozy until her balance suddenly came back. It was hard to get used to. One minute you felt like crap, but when the internal diagnostics got the problem fixed suddenly you were better. It was that fast. Okay, what would be the best way to put that thing out of its misery?

The crowd started to settle down as she purposefully strode over to where the lance was stuck in the ground. She pulled it free and balanced it across the palm of her hand, testing its weight. It should be strong enough for what she was thinking. She adjusted her stance and held the weapon shoulder high with both hands in the manner of a pole-vaulter and then began to run toward the Sharkticon that, amazingly, was still trying to get up.

When the distance was right she jumped upward and brought the weapon down with all her considerable weight on it, driving it completely through her adversary and spearing it to the ground. The mech gave one or two more mighty, convulsive jerks and then was still. Sparks flew and mechanical fluids mixed with energon flowed out onto the dusty ground.

The crowd went nuts. Stormvolt was not swayed in her earlier opinion, thinking that if it had been her impaled and dead on the ground, the majority of them would have reacted the same way. Rumble and Frenzy were ecstatic, even Ravage appeared excited, but maybe he was just reacting to the crowd. Even now she had no idea just what his story was. Cyclonus looked pleased. Scourge seemed a tad surprised. Galvatron was just giving her a baleful stare. What was his problem? He said she had to deactivate it to pass the test. It certainly hadn't been her idea. The Sweeps elbowed their way to the door and opened it and not needing any encouragement, the seeker flew upwards and out. No one congratulated her, they were already on the way to the scene of the last test.

The despot was not aware of the face he was presenting. For whatever reason, he was able to think just a bit more clearly and pushing his memory still hurt but not the way it did most of the time. Watching her stab the Sharkticon reminded him of the human again and also his own very distant past fighting in illegal combat in the worst parts of Cybertron. Remembering some of his own past wasn't so unusual since he tried regularly until it hurt more than he could tolerate. But this femme repeatedly made him recall his one-time pet. Why? He WOULD get to the bottom of this but first there were more fun things to attend to. His expression changed from angry to the usual smirk like someone had flipped a switch.

"It's about time!" he said with frank disapproval. "I was beginning to think I would have to take care of it myself."

**_I wish someone would take care of_ you!**

What an absolute dick! 'Finish it myself,' easy for you to say, up here surrounded by your lackeys. Of course Stormvolt's reply was far more contrite, although she didn't mean it.

"Forgive me, I do not wish to disappoint you," she said, mentally adding a 'you big purple jerkoff' to the end of her declaration.

"There remains a slight chance for redemption. Let's see what you do with the final test." And then he turned and walked away with the rest of the others following.

If the last test was anything like the first two she might be screwed. The seeker was tired, filthy and still hurting even if her diagnostics did say she was fully repaired. The fine, dusty soil had stuck to her everywhere there had been energon or hydraulic fluid, causing her to resemble something that had been dipped in egg and flour in preparation for frying.

"Do you require repairs?"

Stormvolt looked up from attempting to wipe away the crud with her hand to see Cyclonus regarding at her in his standard deadpan manner but offering a tattered scrap of fabric.

"Thank you," she said, accepting the cloth and proceeding to remove the dirt.

The mech nodded. "You should be presentable for the final test," he said and then went to join the rest of his faction. Cyclonus knew what the last test was, of course and wasn't that happy with it, as it did not come anywhere near meeting his standards for what was honorable. However, it was not his decision to make.

"Do you need an invitation?" Galvatron yelled from the opposite side of a low rock formation.

She could be a lot cleaner, but it would have to do. And why would it matter one way or the other? Only one way to find out. The blue and silver femme ran toward where the others had gone, tucking the rag away in a storage compartment. Coming around the side of the rocks revealed the other Decepticons standing in two groups leaving a wide path for her to approach the spot where their leader, Scourge and Cyclonus waited. It made her think of some bizarre wedding, an idea that was disgusting beyond belief, until she reminded herself that they don't do stuff like that. She really did still think like a human.

"And now, Stormvolt, we come to the final test," Galvatron said, with the eager air of someone anticipating an extremely good time. He gestured to one side and there securely chained in a sitting position to a large rock was a small, terrified Autobot whom she had never seen before.

She merely looked at the captive who was flanked by the hulking Sweeps as if he had any chance at all of escaping, and then back at Galvatron, curiously.

"This one is simple. There is but one thing you must do," he continued, staring at her expectantly, optics glowing with excitement.

"What's that, mighty one?" She was already suspecting the answer but he so obviously wanted her to ask.

"I really don't care how you do it, so long as it's painful, but you will kill this filthy Autobot."


	10. Ride the Lightning

**Author's Note:** If there's such a thing as mechanical gore, this one has it. There's a little more of this note at the end so I don't give a lot away. As always, thanks for reading and for commenting. Transformers belongs to Hasbro and Takara.

A Blessing and A Curse  
By: Quetzal1

Chapter 9  
Ride the Lightning

xxxxxx

"I don't have to hunt him or fight him first?" Stormvolt asked.

"No, I don't think you would fare so well against a thinking opponent. Why? Do you have a problem with eliminating this piece of scrap?" Galvatron asked, assuming a tone that suggested she had better not, although, in the back of his warped mind he expected a degree of unwillingness but he wasn't sure why.

"No, Lord Galvatron. I only wanted to make sure I understood your terms, that's all."

"Well now you have them, so get busy!"

This wasn't right.

_**Oh, don't tell me that after all you've learned and all you've been through, you're going to start up that nonsense again.**_

Damn, you're talky today. And yes. Look at this loser. He's tied up and defenseless and I don't even know who he is. I'm supposed to just walk up and kill him?

The femme was standing directly in front of the unfortunate mech. The Sweeps had withdrawn to a safer distance, not wanting to risk getting hit by stray laser fire. They knew that as a general rule, seekers tended to prefer a more impersonal method of dispatching an enemy, rather than a physical approach.

xxxxx

The small Autobot, named Dart, had only joined up with his faction a few months ago. Previously he had been a neutral, but witnessing the destruction caused by the Decepticons prompted him to change several opinions he had previously held. He had been a good student, being instructed firsthand in soldiering by Kup and studying anything he could find about the subject on his own time. He also spent a lot of time on target practice and was becoming a very good marksman. His latest task had been to go to a large asteroid not so far from Cybertron with the objective of surviving there a week on his own. Once daily he called back to headquarters just to let them know he was okay. If he passed this test he would be qualified for scout duties. The idea of getting to go to strange new places and study them appealed to his curious nature. There were so many worlds to explore and now that the Decepticons were not much of a threat, it would be so much more pleasant.

Having been on the asteroid for several days already, he had thoroughly explored it and found that there was no one else around. It was lonely but also peaceful. The problem with this was that it led to feelings of complacency. It had been easy for a pair of expert hunters like the Sweeps to sneak in and wait for the right moment to grab him, having become aware of his presence days ago. The 'bot had been standing on a low hill, surveying the landscape when a blast hit him and knocked him facedown. He immediately began trying to send a distress call but the shot had disabled his communicators beyond repair. The wound hurt a lot but wasn't fatal. There had been only a tiny amount of energon lost. The small mech tried to stand and was violently shoved down again. He had been blindfolded, beaten and chained and didn't know by who until the blindfold was removed later. His spark hitched and nearly froze as the first thing he saw was the Sweeps. He knew about them of course, and all the other Decepticons. Why would they want him? Dart tried to be brave.

"You know the others will come looking for me," he said, doing a fair job of keeping his voice steady.

"Yeah, if they knew you were gone," one of the Sweeps said.

"They'll know," Dart said, not realizing that they had heard him call headquarters and sign off with, 'I'll report again same time tomorrow.'

"Eventually, I'm sure, but by the time they notice, it'll be much too late for you."

And then they had left him alone. He could hear the other Decepticons nearby. They sounded very worked up by something. The chains that bound him were augmented by others that held him fast to a big rock. The mech struggled and fought as hard as he could to no avail. His wounds hurt and he just wasn't strong enough to get free. The only thing left was desperate hope that headquarters would attempt contact and send someone looking for him when there was no answer. But how would they know where he was? This was looking very bad indeed. Pretty soon, it looked a lot worse. He heard some huge cheers and then it was quiet. Various Decepticons began to approach from the opposite side of a large rock formation on his left. They merely looked at him. None of them were speaking to him or each other. A sizeable crowd gathered, its members just waiting around. Suddenly they parted to reveal none other than Galvatron.

The tyrant drew very close and stood there a few moments before addressing him.

"I do hope you're comfortable, not that it matters. You'll be out of your misery soon enough."

"What do you want from me?" Dart asked in a small voice. He was thoroughly scared now. Beyond Galvatron he saw Scourge approach and then the Sweeps, who took up positions on either side of him.

"Have you ever heard the term, 'sacrificial lamb'? Because that's what you are, my diminutive friend. You will have the honor of being the final step in the creation of a new Decepticon."

What did that mean? Were they going to do something to his processors and convert him to their side? Was he an experiment of some kind? As Galvatron walked away, he began his struggles anew only to be interrupted by another voice shortly thereafter.

"It is hopeless. Why don't you try to die with some shred of pride intact, or is that beyond you Autobots?" Cyclonus said with disgust, as he looked the mech over before joining Galvatron and Scourge off to one side.

Dart continued to try to struggle free and received only the amused chuckle of a Sweep as a reward. What was going to happen now, and what were they waiting on?

Galvatron suddenly leaned back and shouted: "Do you need an invitation?" And then they were joined by a femme who Dart had never seen before. Weren't those extinct? She stopped near the despot and the Autobot overheard the instructions given before she came over to stand in front of him. Her optics glowed dimly as she stood there, hand on hips looking as though she were considering a difficult problem.

"What's your name?" She demanded.

"I … it's Dart." The seeker nodded at his response but said nothing more.

**What do you care what his name is?**

I don't know. I guess I was just curious.

**Your curiosity is only going to make this more difficult. His name is of no consequence. You're doing it again. Human standards of conduct do not apply to you anymore, why can't you understand that?**

Hey it's not like I've been anything else for very long.

**And if you don't get on with it, you won't be what you are for much longer.**

As though hearing this exchange, Galvatron added conversationally: "You know, that Autobot scum is dead regardless, and if one of us has to do it, you will join him."

"I'm sorry mighty Galvatron, I'm just trying to decide the best way to go about it."

"Surprise me."

**You're just stalling.**

Fuck yeah, I'm stalling.

_**This would be a wonderful starting point you know.**_

For what?

_**Why, for your own personal reign of terror. You've sworn revenge for your friends, so why not start here? Inflicting pain upon this waste of metal would undoubtedly relieve some of your own.**_

Yeah, but I was thinking of killing those guys on more equal footing.

_**Don't be ridiculous. They would not extend you the same courtesy. You cannot pick and choose. Either they are the enemy, every single one deserving death on sight, or you are no Decepticon. And it's much too late to back out now, so establish your terms boldly. The first among them should be no mercy.**_

Maybe. The idea did have a certain appeal. Stormvolt approached the petite mech and began to circle around behind him, lightly dragging a taser contact across a section of his shoulder that wasn't covered by chains.

**_See how he flinches away? He's petrified. That is not the demeanor of the righteous, it is that of a guilty coward. And he _should_ be afraid. He does not deserve your mercy or consideration._**

Could be the case, I guess.

_**No, it IS. And you know it is not out of the realm of possibility that he may have played a part in the destruction of Thundercracker and Skywarp.**_

You think so?

"Hey you," she said, reaching up to shove Dart's head roughly to one side. "Were you in the battle at Autobot City on Earth?"

"No," he replied sounding hopeful.

See?

_**So what? He could be lying, that is what they do after all.**_

True. She could feel her hesitance turning into anger. These sons of bitches and their treachery were the cause of everything wrong that had happened.

_**Yes they are responsible. And consider this, … somewhere, this miserable little slagger has friends, the way you used to. **_Instead of sounding angrier as it went, the voice was beginning to speak in low, seductive tones.

I still have friends. You're forgetting Rumble and Frenzy.

_**Yes, but it isn't the same, admit it. You were never as close to them as you were Skywarp. I suspect this maggot has no clue of what it is to lose something like that.**_

No, I bet he doesn't. Anger was quickly becoming rage and then that peculiar out of herself feeling began. The femme spread the fingers on each hand far apart and gently rested them on Dart's head like a fortuneteller with a crystal ball.

**_Not only that, but I daresay there's probably even someone who loves this wretch. Why shouldn't _they_ know how it feels to have that snatched away? Let someone else share your misery. It's only fair._**

"Yes, I think you're right," she said quietly.

"What?" Dart asked. He heard her speak, but didn't understand what she said.

"I said; 'Say hello to Optimus Prime for us,' you despicable glitch," Stormvolt growled quietly, leaning down to speak into his audio sensors so no one else could hear. The small would-be scout had time to notice that her voice sounded quite different than it had previously but this reflection was short lived as she spoke to him again.

"Now… BURN!"

xxxxx

Galvatron had told her to surprise him and that is exactly what happened. He watched as her optics began to grow brighter and she placed her hands on either side of the prisoner's head. He was fully expecting her to rip it loose from its mountings but instead, bright, bluish white streaks of electricity began to dance outward from her fingertips and surround the head and face of the Autobot.

There was a collective sound of astonishment from the crowd as the Autobot's blue optics exploded outward in a fine spray and jets of pale fire shot from the empty sockets and gaping mouth. Her victim had screamed, but only briefly before his vocalizers melted, his voice rapidly fading to garbled nothingness. The Decepticons thought (and some hoped) she would stop now and she did, but only long enough to remove her hands and switch to the two cannons. The lightning was too bright to watch for long but everyone got a good look at the end result.

The little Autobot spasmodically jerked as the power overloaded his neural circuits and was only still when the metal in his joints began to fuse solid. In the end, he was an unrecognizable, burned out hulk. Even the chains had melted, permanently welding him to the rock. There were uneasy murmurs throughout the crowd. Wildrider in particular was feeling rather concerned after his earlier trick with the energon. He hoped she could take a joke.

Stormvolt backed away, only slightly wobbly, but very tired and dazed. At least she hadn't overextended herself. There was no charge left for voltage scatter, but everything else was okay just a little lower. It had been like earlier with the Chaar spider. She didn't really remember what she had done. One minute fury and then the next thing she knew, something had been fried. It suddenly occurred to her that possibly it wasn't her rotten temper causing this.

What did you do?

But the voice was silent.

What bothered her even more than the possibility that she wasn't always in charge of herself was the fact that she had just roasted that little guy alive and didn't feel all that bad about it. Perhaps because it was him or her and in spite of how screwed up things were, she still wanted to live. However, she didn't look at him again.

There wasn't any cheering this time. The crowd kept well away from her as she walked over to where their leader was waiting.

"Now that's what I like to see," Galvatron said, optics alight and small sparks popping near his head before turning to the crowd "Decepticons, I give you our newest warrior."

There was cautious applause.

He gave the order to return to Chaar when the noise died down, but not before leaving instructions for his officers. "Get rid of the bodies somewhere or some way that they won't ever be found," he said to Scourge and then to Cyclonus: "She's your problem now. Let's see if you actually know anything." And with that he joined the rest of his departing minions.

"I'm _your_ problem? What's that all about?" Stormvolt asked, indignant.

"It will be my job to see that you live up to your potential," Cyclonus replied. And was he ever seeing vast amounts of that. It was also slightly disturbing to realize what had nearly happened to him. What he saw here explained why she had just put her hand over his, instead of cowering away when he felt like instilling some discipline earlier. "But I think you've done enough for now. I will issue you your insignia and energon rations and then you may do as you like until tomorrow."

xxxxx

Back on the rooftop of what she was already thinking of as home, the femme applied the last emblem to her armor, centering it on the chest plate.

"Looks good on ya," Rumble said, as he and Frenzy popped over the ledge and onto the roof.

"Thanks."

"That was somethin' else," Frenzy said.

"Galvatron said to surprise him," Stormvolt replied, smiling wryly.

"Yeah, I bet he wasn't expecting deep fried Autobot," Rumble snickered.

"Do you guys know who he was?"

"Nah, I never saw him before," Frenzy answered.

"Is that getting to be common?"

"Probably there's a lot more where he came from. I know a bunch of neutrals have been coming back since they heard the Autobots took over Cybertron."

The flier considered the information, which seemed peculiar. Wouldn't news like that scare everyone away?

"But anyway, we just wanted to say congratulations."

"Yeah, you're official now," Rumble added.

"Thanks, guys."

"We better get going. Soundwave doesn't want us hanging around here too much just yet."

"Why not?"

"Well, since the boss acts really interested in you, it might be better if we stayed away and off his radar, y'know? Until he loses interest, anyway."

Stormvolt nodded. Indeed, she planned to do likewise as much as possible.

"Okay, later," Frenzy said as the pair went over the ledge again and flew off at low altitude so as to not be noticeable.

Alone again, the femme sat down and attempted to drink the weak looking energon before going offline to recharge. She took a large sip and nearly had to reverse the intake. Blech! It was awful. Hadn't these guys heard of filtering? Holy crap! Hard to believe anyone would steal it and that it was actually rationed. She would have to ask about it later. It had been a truly whacked last couple of days. Nothing was like it used to be.

xxxxx

"Isn't there supposed to be a ceremony or something?" Stormvolt had asked earlier, knowing from stories told by her late friends that when new graduates from the academy got their insignia, it was the kickoff to days of epic over-energizing on high grade and all the nonsense and debauchery that came with it.

"Perhaps once, but not any more." Cyclonus replied, handing her several purple faction symbols and a pair of dimly glowing energon cubes.

"Oh."

"Be careful with those. Once they are in place they can not be removed," the mech said, gesturing toward the symbols as the femme held one out near a wing experimentally.

"I think I'll put them on the front and back," she said, craning her neck around, trying to get an idea of how it would look and thinking of her friends. The purple would clash with the blue, as was the case with Thundercracker, but that was okay.

"You will never get those on correctly yourself," Cyclonus said, shaking his head. "I can apply them if you like." He did not want her to look sloppy, especially if Galvatron was making the seeker his responsibility.

"Uh, yeah…okay," she said, handing over four of the symbols cautiously. She had not forgotten that almost every time they were together, he had done something unpleasant; tackling, shoving and he would have tried to hit her if not for the intercession of Galvatron.

"Turn around and stand up straight."

Stormvolt did as instructed and wondered if he was really being helpful or if this was a trick. She was already regretting accepting his offer, expecting to be struck for some bullshit reason or that he would unintentionally injure her. She flinched when he placed a steadying hand on the trailing edge of her left wing.

"What?" He asked, noticing the twitch and removing his hand. "Do you have some kind of damage?"

"No, it's nothing."

Cyclonus carefully attached the decals on the front and back of each side, rubbing them afterward to remove any air bubbles and ensure proper adhesion but being mindful that wings were touchy things. He stood back and tilted his head to one side. There! She looked much better.

The femme was surprised that she wasn't finding it unpleasant at all. In fact, after the beating she had taken today, it actually felt sort of nice and …good lord, what was she thinking?

I'm just wiped out, that's all. It's been a messed up couple of days. She thought, expecting the voice to have something to say but it maintained its silence. Maybe it was broken.

"Thank you," she said, as she looked over his work.

"Get going. You will need to be fully recharged for tomorrow. And if you do not consume that energon, I suggest you find a good hiding place for it, because there will be no more for two days and your brethren will steal anything not welded down."

xxxxx

It took a little while but the seeker finally got all of the energon choked down. Was this what they were all living on? It went a long way in explaining the general malaise that seemed to be affecting most of the population here. It was so weak it would take more than her reservoir could hold to get even just a tad over-energized. Hopefully there wouldn't be any ill effects.

So, for better or worse she was in. Nothing was like she had been told or had expected. All that hoping and waiting and searching and now here she sat, on the rooftop of some trashed out building on an equally trashed out planet, drinking substandard fuel, missing her friends, fighting for a cause that may well be lost with a new leader who maybe was actually the old leader, just in a new body and totally insane. Yeah, that about covered it. It would be difficult, but once again in the name of survival she would have to make an effort to ingratiate herself with those who controlled things. And she would also have to try harder to not think so much like a human. As for the late Dart, she would make an effort to not think of him again, ever. It would be nice if she could just plain stop thinking for a while. That wish was soon granted as she slipped offline and into recharge, while diagnostic systems ran a complete scan just to be safe. What was planned for tomorrow was anyone's guess, but it was certain to be a very long day.

xxxxxx

**Author's note continued**: When I wrote in Dart, I liked to imagine him as either Wheelie or Blur because both of them really, really got on my nerves (especially Blur.) I know every character can't be as cool as Jazz, or Wheeljack, but come on! But in the name of trying to stick to canon as much as you can when you have your own character, I made someone up.


	11. Learning Curve

Author's note: Thank you for all the nice comments. I am really glad so many people are enjoying this. Transformers belongs to Hasbro and Takara.

A Blessing and A Curse  
By: Quetzal1

Chapter 10  
Learning Curve

xxxxxxx

It didn't feel as though she had been off line for long. A metallic clanking sound that came at varying intervals interrupted her rest. As systems began to come on line, Stormvolt could feel something gently hitting her leg and sort of shoving it, which explained the sound. It must be Rumble and/or Frenzy. But what were they doing back already?

"Weren't you supposed to stay away?" She mumbled just before her optics came on.

"What?" A deep voice that was becoming familiar asked. Cyclonus was about to give her a more solid kick rather than a series of nudges when she spoke to him.

"Oh, it's you," she said, sitting up straight and flexing various joints as her systems began circulating hydraulic and other mechanical fluids. "Aren't you a little early?"

"It has been eight hours. How long do you require for recharge?" He asked, looking around at the rooftop with distaste. Yet another issue he would address. It simply wouldn't do for someone who might be officer material to sit around off line out on a broken down rooftop like some kind of derelict.

"Not that long, but it's still dark. When does the sun come up around here?" It had been night or twilight since she had arrived. The dimness wasn't really an impediment to her vision because the optics could compensate as long as there was even a little illumination to work with, but she still could have gone for some solar energy. It was so much better for a good charge than starlight, just like lightning was better than power lines.

"There isn't one." The mech was pondering his alternate dimension theory again. Surely wherever she came from wasn't so opposite of this universe that there was a sun?

"So what, we have to sit in the dark all the time?"

"It is slightly brighter when we are facing Cybertron."

"How about weather? Does it ever change?"

"Dead planets have no weather."

Was he always so deadly serious and sinister? For a split second she could imagine calling one of those numbers for time and weather like they used to have and getting his voice. It'd scare someone half to death: 'The time is two forty pm and dead planets have no weather.' The thought made the femme want to smile, but he'd probably take offense and demand an explanation, so she stifled the urge. But no sun, and more importantly, no weather which eliminated the possibility of lightning. That particular thought killed the impulse to smile quickly.

"Far more important matters require your attention," he continued. "Today I am going to begin evaluating your abilities and instructing you in the ways of combat." He was expecting this announcement to receive more enthusiasm instead of the seeker's casual shrug and response.

"Okay," she said.

"We will start with your demeanor," Cyclonus said in a withering tone. "I realize you've spent an inordinate amount of time away from home and around humans but that is no excuse to allow their ways corrupt your programming."

"Huh?"

"A perfect example of what I mean. Stop doing that."

Oh, great. It was an all robot version of _My Fair Lady_. What he was asking was doable, though. She would just have to remember to speak to him the way she used to when addressing Megatron.

"Very well," she said.

"Better," he replied with a nod before continuing. "And this," he gestured around at the rooftop "is unacceptable."

"What do you find unacceptable?" It wasn't like she'd had a lot of time to do anything to it, but she kept her manner polite.

"Look at it. It is disgraceful for one of Galvatron's warriors to live in such squalor."

Nice. Stormvolt thought. You don't care how it affects me you just don't like how it reflects on _him_.

"But I like it outside."

"That isn't the issue. If this is what you will use as quarters, then make it suitable."

Sure, I'll run right down to the Home Depot and grab a few things, she thought before replying with: "It will be dealt with at the first opportunity."

Cyclonus nodded again. She was catching on quickly. "And now we will go to the training grounds and begin your education. This way," he said, going airborne and transforming.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The pair arrived at yet another extremely large asteroid. It reminded the femme of Monument Valley in some ways. The terrain was rough and barren and here and there rose great arches of something that didn't look like stone but not metal, either. They were snarled together and were probably interesting to fly around.

"The first thing I want to see is how well you evade," Cyclonus said.

"What am I evading?"

"_I_ will pursue and _you_ will attempt to escape. And to make the experience authentic I will shoot at you." And then seeing Stormvolt's uneasy reaction he added: "Not at full power, of course, just enough to motivate you."

"I see." Wasn't it just so thoughtful of him to worry about her motivation like that? Ugh, it was going to be a long day.

"And you will not return fire, is that clear?"

"Painfully."

"Good. I will give you a brief head start, now go."

Stormvolt got into the air and away. Just how hard was he going to come after her and how strong would those lasers be? The answer came soon enough. She heard a thundering roar that probably shook the ground. He hadn't been that noisy before so it must be his way of letting her know that he was the alpha dog, she thought. In a matter of just a few seconds, sensors advised that he was practically on top of her. A burning pain across one of her horizontal stabilizers confirmed it.

"YOWCH!" She would hate to feel what full power was like.

"You will have to do better than that," Cyclonus said via communicator. He didn't sound very happy at all, even more than usual.

Rather than reply Stormvolt engaged the afterburners and banked sharply left. The mech followed closely, much to her disbelief. How did something that big move so quickly? Maybe randomness would throw him off, there had to be a limit somewhere.

Still not yet going at top speed the femme zigzagged right and left, up and down and was dismayed to find that Cyclonus stuck right with her like he knew what she was going to do before she did. And just to underscore that he shot her two more times.

Damn it, that hurt! It was time to try harder. She flung the throttles wide open to top speed and shot upwards vertically, gaining a tiny bit of breathing room so to speak. She looped around to the side, coming back toward the ground and thought she had done it. That is until proximity sensors sounded the alarm. Cyclonus came at her from the side narrowly missing by going up and over at the last second. The wake turbulence generated by his engines made her struggle for control for a few seconds, long enough for him turn around and try it again.

The mech was relentless. Ordinarily, he would have done something else but he wanted to see if she was paying attention. And she was, dropping fast and to the side to avoid him. It was already obvious that she would require much more practice and instruction in strategy. The blue and silver aircraft flew as though more for enjoyment than murderous intent. Although he found it very graceful and pleasant to observe in some ways, it did not destroy enemies or save your tail.

Another laser beam sizzled above her right wing, barely skimming along its surface. It could have blown right through it at full strength. He was just toying with her, but how could she get away? She kept expecting the voice to say something but so far it was remaining mute. What if it really was broken somehow? That was something to consider when she wasn't being shot at. Right now she had to think up some way to escape that big bastard. Then it clicked.

She dropped down low, just a few yards above the surface to see if her pursuer would follow and he did, though staying just a bit higher because of his size. Not being in a direct line behind would make aiming at her harder. Another laser beam zipped past and missed. Ha! She accelerated and began looking for the one thing she could think of that would force him to back off. At the speed the seeker was moving it didn't take long. Just ahead was a twisted arch of the alien material. It wasn't a true tunnel but the arch was rather wide. The gap beneath was an odd shape and small. The measurements flashed across her vision rapidly. She could fit if she hit it while inverted and tilted at an angle. Her processors calculated the last possible point at which she could invert and still make it. The space would take her out of sight for a second or two. Cyclonus would have to do one of two things, either turn away or simply climb enough to go over the obstacle. He was good and would probably take the latter option, the femme reasoned. So if they maintained current speed they wouldn't really be any farther apart than now and she couldn't go any faster.

The mech watched as his target abruptly rolled and then tilted. She was going to go through the opening and there was no way he could follow. Not much of a problem really. He climbed and rocketed over the obstruction, expecting to see his prey emerge at approximately the same time he got away from the arch. Suddenly the communicator activated just as a warning alarm advised that weapons were locked onto him.

"If I were allowed to shoot, you'd be dead now," Stormvolt said. Upon entering the very short passageway she had slowed dramatically, allowing her to exit just behind her victim.

"Yes if you weren't already dead four times over yourself," Cyclonus retorted.

Smartass. "Do you wish to continue?"

Rather than respond, the sleek aircraft sharply turned and came after her once more. The seeker immediately dropped to near the surface again and raced for a tangle in the landscape that was nothing but arches and tunnels. Cyclonus followed, not intimidated in the least at the prospect of continuing the chase there. Pursuit was much harder through the loops and spires rising up from the ground. Soon it was more an exercise in navigation and reaction than hunting. Crazy as it was, Stormvolt was starting to have fun. She was good at something like this, jinking back and forth narrowly missing the obstacles that were allowing her to get farther and farther ahead. Of course if the mech were really out to get her, she would be unable to stay in here all day. With that in mind she cleared the snarled landscape and went full speed again, afterburners and all.

The warrior knew he had lost a small amount of ground but that was all right. He was relieved to be finally seeing some skill and ingenuity, of course most Decepticons were better at escaping than anything else, unfortunately. They would have to work on this initial hesitance that seemed to manifest itself each time there was a new undertaking, though. Once she got past that the femme was showing promise. There was lots of work ahead, but Cyclonus didn't mind as long as he wasn't wasting his time. Upon breaking into the open, radar told him the approximate location of his target. She had not dallied and had put some distance between the two of them.

xxxxx

He chased her for the next three hours. The longer they went the more difficult it was becoming to score a hit. Excellent.

"Let's try something different," Cyclonus said. "This time you will be the pursuer, however you may do no more than get a weapons lock." He did not trust her to reduce the power of the electricity she wielded, unaware that there was no danger from that. He would also generate a small repellant field, just incase although it was hard to say just how effective it would be.

"How long of a head start do I give you?"

Amazingly, it sounded like he was actually smiling when he replied: "_I _don't need one."

And he didn't. Stormvolt found that if running from him was hard chasing him was harder. It was an awesome thing to behold, though. The craft rocketed along, forward swept wings slicing through space as the engines roared, trailing long, bright flames. Now _that_ was some mechanized death right there. To further try to provoke the voice she added: Not to mention a pretty nice looking piece of machinery. It didn't work. Well, enough of that. She had to concentrate harder than ever to even come close to getting a weapons lock. Cyclonus also played dirty, something she discovered when he led her into another, smaller tangle in the landscape. The femme was easily dodging the impediments to her progress but was unable to get a lock because of all the moves they were both executing. However, she managed to draw closer because of her ability to pass through some spaces her quarry had to maneuver around. Ahead she saw a space that would finally let her score again if she got there quickly.

As she was bearing down on the opening, her target let loose a barrage of laser fire that made the channel collapse in large chunks. The seeker pulled back and went vertical to avoid the mess before taking a shot to the underside. Not one to miss an opportunity, Cyclonus had turned in a large open space and let her have it.

Shit! Why didn't she think of that herself? Stormvolt was embarrassed at how she could be so easily led into something so obvious. For every hit she could potentially make she took four herself. It was like she had never practiced at all.

"I think that's enough of this for one day," Cyclonus said, as they entered another open expanse. He transformed and landed on a small hill. His student joined him wearing a sullen expression.

"What's wrong? I did not use enough power to injure you."

"I'm fine, just angry," she said, rubbing absently at the scorch marks the laser had left behind.

"Why?"

"Because, I'm better than this, that's why."

"Yes, I know, and you will improve. I will see to that personally." The mech was secretly happy with her irritation. It meant that she was really trying and would continue to do so if for no other reason than to prove her point. When he was through with the flier, she would be among the most lethal of the Decepticons and Galvatron would have to be pleased with him about that.

"Do you see that peak?" He asked, pointing toward the horizon.

Stormvolt could easily spot the jagged spike sticking up from the ground about a half-mile away. "Yes."

"Good. Shoot it."

"As you wish." This was something she could manage easily. The round reticle popped into her vision, and began blinking as she raised both arms and released a stream of laser fire. The jagged point on top of the spike was blown away in a cloud of dust and gravel.

"No, not like that," Cyclonus said. He was expecting the lightning to issue forth instead of the same lasers everyone had.

The seeker was baffled. How else was she supposed to shoot it, over her shoulder while looking in a mirror? Blindfolded?

"Use electricity."

Damn. She hadn't wanted anyone to know the lightning couldn't be unleashed at will but she would have to admit it now. "I can't."

"Why not?" He asked suspiciously.

"Because I used the last of my charge on that Autobot, and there's nowhere to get another one. Dead planets have no weather, remember? Geez, what is it with you?"

"You're doing it again." He replied with disapproval at the outburst, ignoring the question.

"Yes, well…I get tired of being questioned and spoken to like I'm a pathological liar."

She had a point, he realized, and a little part of him admired that she seemed to resent having her honor impugned, but he was used to dealing with nothing but duplicitous liars and troublemakers. A different tack might prove more successful.

"Explain how it functions," he said, trying to sound neutral.

"I absorb the energy from some outside source such as lightning or power lines. I can store it like a capacitor and release it when I need to, but it's generally only good for a couple of shots, depending on how much I let out. I think if I did it more often I might be able to make it last longer, though."

"I see," Cyclonus replied. While he was relieved to know he did not have to watch out for that particular talent right now, it was no comfort to discover that there wasn't any obvious way to determine if she had a charge or not. She appeared the same as back when she first arrived and could have destroyed or at the least badly hurt him on more than one occasion. Furthermore what was this 'I think' business? Sometimes it was as though she had just been created.

"And I'll thank you not to tell anyone. I'm safer amongst the others that way."

It was never bad to have something to use as leverage if the need arose. He would keep the secret for as long as it suited his purposes. And besides, after seeing her abilities as they currently were, he was reasonably sure she wouldn't be much of a match for a lot of the others if one of them started something by catching her off guard (always a possibility) so it would be best if they had no idea. "Agreed," he said.

"What's next?" The femme asked in attempt to change the subject.

"Sit," he said, pointing to a group of rock like protrusions nearby. "I wish to discuss a few more things with you."

Uh oh. This triggered another memory from long ago. Whenever she had been in her room or wherever and her mother had called "Come here, I want to talk to you," it ALWAYS meant she was in trouble for something. This had the same feel.

"What did you do on Earth and why were you unaware of so much?" The mech asked as he sat down facing her.

Now would be a good time for you to help, Stormvolt thought at the voice, which had still not spoken up and wasn't going to now, evidently. She was on her own and would start with the easy answer first and hopefully that would be enough time to come up with something for the other.

"I was an engineer. I also functioned in a medical capacity."

"You were not a soldier?"

"No, I did that also but it was limited to more specific missions."

"Why?"

"I guess because there were some things Megatron thought I was better at than others. I didn't question it I just did as I was told." She could almost feel his red, softly glowing stare boring into her armor as he waited for some indication she was lying or being evasive.

It was good leadership, deploying your personnel in ways that best used their major talents, although there could be other reasons for not sending someone into harm's way. Possibly some variety of favoritism. And what would cause that? "Were you his… consort?"

"What? Not that it's any of _your_ business, but no, I most certainly was NOT." Stormvolt snapped. This discussion was just getting ridiculous and she really wished that these guys would quit planting that particular concept in her head.

Cyclonus didn't apologize but he did reconsider the idea. Her demeanor around the marker of her former leader had been strictly that of a soldier, not someone who was bonded to or who, at the very least, had interfaced with him on a regular basis. She had been the most distraught over the seeker Skywarp when they had visited the crypt. Perhaps there had been something between the two of them at some point, but that didn't matter to him.

"Why did you not return to Cybertron before now?"

She thought carefully and quickly before answering. The truth (or something close) would be easiest.

"I've been in stasis," she said, before recounting the battle and how she had been seriously wounded and mistakenly thought dead, apparently. There was no other explanation for being left behind all this time. However there was no mention of having been human and then waking up a machine.

"That does not explain why you had no faction symbol or why no one seems to know you."

Shit. Why couldn't this guy be dumb like some of the others?

"I looked pretty bad after getting shot up and all that stasis so I tricked some humans into refurbishing me." That wasn't a lie either. "But I didn't want any filthy flesh creatures painting our insignia. I just decided to wait until I got back to get proper ones." That seemed like a very Decepticon thing to say. She noticed that the mech almost, but not quite smiled when she added that last part.

"And no one greeted you because…," he prompted.

He was persistent, she'd give him that.

"Eh, those slaggers don't care about anyone but themselves. And since everyone is so scared of Galvatron, they probably thought it would be better to act ignorant." Oh please let that be a good enough answer, she thought.

Cyclonus contemplated her reply. It made perfect sense. It was certainly true that their leader was a fearsome thing to behold and most of the others went out of their way to avoid catching his optic. Still though, it didn't feel quite right. He would accept it for now but continue to watch her interactions with the others.

"Let's go," he said, slowly standing. "There is much more to do before we are finished for the day."

xxxxx

The "much more" consisted of further target practice and then seeing how well Stormvolt could hit stationary objects from the air. She was running on a low charge by the time she was free to go. Cyclonus had told her to be on the asteroid the next day and on time and then went off on his own. Although she had expended a lot of energy it was unusual to be this run down so soon. Maybe that nasty energon from yesterday was somehow to blame.

Returning to the rooftop, she spent some time picking up debris and chucking it over into the ruins of another nearby structure. There were some large blocks that were moved and stacked to make a bench and going into the enclosed part beneath the roof unearthed some useful items that could be employed to further improve things, but that was for another day. The flier was tired. Though she didn't have to, going off line during recharge allowed her to escape more than just mental stress. The laser burns stung and her pride hadn't fully recovered even though Cyclonus hadn't given her a hard time about her newly discovered shortcomings. In his own way he was even somewhat encouraging. The mech was a strange one but sort of interesting. As she slid toward the welcome oblivion of recharge it occurred to her that her friendship with Skywarp had begun in a similar manner. She had been more or less dumped on him and things just happened from there. Current circumstances were much different. Screw it, she thought crossly. I'll try as hard as I can and whatever happens, happens.


	12. Mind Games

**Author's note:** If the ship Unicron provided in the movie had a name I have no clue what it was, but I thought _Vengeance_ was appropriate. Thanks for reading and commenting. Transformers belongs to Hasbro and Takara.

A Blessing and A Curse  
By: Quetzal1

Chapter 11  
Mind Games

xxxxxx

Soundwave was growing to hate going off line. As his systems repaired themselves and tidied up files within his processors, he was more susceptible to the thoughts of the others. In the old days it wasn't much of a problem, hearing the minds that were mostly occupied with trivialities. Now it was hopelessness, fear, and anger in addition to idly (and sloppily) considered sedition. For this reason as well as to stay away from the endless madness of Galvatron, he had chosen a spot for his quarters as far away as he could manage without arousing suspicions or leaving himself and the cassettes vulnerable should there be some kind of attack. From this lair it was only weak background noise when he received thoughts of the general population. Hearing the other thoughts wasn't always bad, though. It allowed him to deploy Ratbat, Laserbeak, Buzzsaw or all of the above to steal a few extra rations on occasion since he knew just where some of them had been hidden. It would also let him play on the paranoia and suspicions of the victim by leaving signs that the theft had been perpetrated by whoever they were watching out for. Sometimes while off line one was also subject to phenomena that was caused by memory, logic and probability processors and circuits running tests and adjusting. Humans called it dreaming.

Lately Soundwave had been plagued by visits from his one-time leader…and Megatron was not happy with him at all. The white and silver mech appeared as seated on a block of stone against one wall near the entrance to the room. He was the same as when the telepath saw him last: battered, leaking energon and repair fluid. However he sounded very strong.

"You are a traitor, Soundwave, no better than that vile Starscream," he rasped quietly with unmistakable disgust in his voice.

"No, that's not true!" Soundwave replied.

"Oh but it IS. You allowed me to be thrown to my death and abandoned. You did nothing to prevent it."

"But you didn't die. You were reformatted as Galvatron."

"Yes, and didn't that work out wonderfully? Galvatron is a raving lunatic. Do you have any idea what it's like to be trapped inside that feeble excuse for a mind? To live every second listening to the insanity that controls him?"

"I understand a little. I can hear his thoughts sometimes. It is most…unpleasant."

"YOU UNDERSTAND NOTHING!" Megatron roared, leaping to his feet and advancing as though to beat some understanding into the other mech.

Around the room also in recharge were Rumble and Frenzy, both of whom sat on the floor leaning against the wall and also slightly against Ravage. The mechanoid cat was stretched out between them with his head on his paws. Overhead, Ratbat hung from an exposed beam. Laserbeak and Buzzsaw used the upper portion of the same beam as a roost. As far as Soundwave could tell, none of the smaller 'bots were disturbed by the discussion.

"But there is no way I can help."

"No, not yet. But perhaps in time there will be something you can do. Observe, Soundwave. I am certain there is more going on than the obvious."

"As you command," the telepath replied, and was taken aback at the reply.

"You'd better fucking believe it," Megatron said, before suddenly disappearing.

Soundwave jerked upright, coming out of recharge, fuel pumps working an accelerated rate. Another anomaly. He didn't care for that at all, and it was happening more often. And this time it was a far more realistic simulation, so realistic he caught himself looking at the floor to see if there were any tracks in the dust coming from the large stone opposite his position. That was ridiculous. Of course there were no tracks, but the hallucination made him uneasy just the same. Usually during these episodes he could only faintly hear Megatron calling him from somewhere, but he could never find the location. This must surely just be a result of his own suspicions and worries…and guilt. He had the feeling on occasion that things on Chaar were off somehow in a way that wasn't obvious. But how, exactly, and what could be the cause? And more often than he wanted to admit to himself, he pondered how things might have been different if he had opposed Starscream's actions. Maybe he _would _try to be more observant. This whole problem must be his sub-processors trying to point something out.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Stormvolt was surprised to see the heavy fog lingering over the ground and rising to a level that was almost even with her rooftop locale. She had been recharging before slowly coming on line to discover the thick gray fog. Without even thinking of it her radar pinged back a signal that informed everything was still down there. The mist was really freaky looking, and what happened to there being no weather? A look overhead showed only the same dark sky and stars. Chaar's orbit and rotation still kept Cybertron from view. As a small shred of the fog tore off and drifted across the rooftop, the femme backed away, removing herself from its path. It seemed wise somehow to stay out of it. There was no wind, so how could it move like that? She crouched and peered cautiously over the ledge and into the murk.

"Just as curious as ever, I see," a voice said.

The blue and silver 'bot knew it well. Oh how she knew it, and was afraid to turn around at first before finally doing so.

"Greetings, Stormvolt."

"Lord Megatron?"

"Aren't you pleased to see me?"

"Yes, but more surprised than anything. They told me you were dead, or were rebuilt as Galvatron or something." Unbelievable. It was her long lost leader and he looked unchanged from the last time she had seen him. But how did he know who she was?

"Don't believe everything you hear."

She didn't know what to say. There was no explanation for this.

"Not everything has a sensible answer," the mech said as though he was reading her mind. "I trust you are faring well here?"

"It hasn't been easy, but it's getting better." She considered a moment before adding "Well, that is if I survive Cyclonus' training." The flier had been going out to the asteroid for a couple of weeks now, and while some things had gotten easier, there was a new challenge regularly.

"Despite that, you've taken a liking to him haven't you?" Megatron asked, in a mildly accusatory way.

"I don't know. I mean, he's a hard ass but he's fair and not mean just because he can be. And I _am _learning stuff." In fact, he was patient and more than fair so long as Stormvolt was making an honest effort. The second she started dogging it, he would do something (usually a strike with a low powered blast of laser) to let her know he knew. Fortunately that wasn't often at all.

"You would be well advised to keep it in mind that he is NOT your friend. His only loyalty is to Galvatron, no one or anything else comes first."

"I know, and I don't get that at all. Galvatron is obviously crazy, why would anyone with any intelligence follow so blindly?"

"I would presume many of your fellow Decepticons feel as you do. But be watchful of them and do not be fooled or lured into their deceitful schemes."

"What schemes? Besides, now that you're here you can go take back your proper place and the others will fall right into line, well, most of them anyway," she said, smiling.

Megatron shook his head in the negative. "This is not the time for a full scale insurrection. I wish to act with stealth and I need Galvatron alive for now. And I need you to assist in keeping him that way."

What the hell? In the time she had known the mech she had never seen him take the careful approach when it came to someone attempting to usurp his position. Not only that, but he wanted her to help said usurper?

"I don't understand," she said. It was weird to be speaking to him at almost eye level instead of looking nearly straight up, but she still felt that small edge of fear just as when she was human.

"You don't have to. Just be your usual observant and deliberate self. I can count on you, can't I?"

"Of course, Mighty One." It actually felt sort of good calling the proper mech that title. He didn't look all that pleased though. In fact, now that she had gotten over the shock of seeing him, he actually looked kind of tired and possibly even a little depressed.

"Excellent. Now don't you have someplace to be?" He asked gesturing skyward. The seeker followed the motion and looked in the general direction she had to travel to reach the training ground/asteroid. It was too far away to see at normal visual settings, but something else captured her attention. The disembodied head of Unicron was visible just above the horizon. She felt a surge of hate for the dead planet eater. That fucker would have eliminated everything. There would have been nothing to come back to, that is, if she had even managed to leave Earth before it had destroyed that as well.

"Why yes, I do…have…to…." She said, sentence trailing off into silence as she turned back around. Megatron was gone. The femme looked about, did a visual reset (something very similar to a slow blink in an organic) and discovered herself sitting on her rooftop, leaning in the corner. The fog was gone and she was very much alone. How about that? Robots could dream, evidently. She'd had no idea. The internal timer had activated all systems bringing her back on line. She got up and went over to the makeshift bench and sat down again. That had been too weird. Could everyone do this or was it a defect particular to her? She would have to ask around.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The ordinarily punctual Cyclonus was late, but it wasn't his fault. His esteemed leader had been on a real tear lately. Today he had been unable to talk his way out of a beating. He had blocked and dodged for as long as he could but then Galvatron had resorted to throwing objects at him. There were some salvaged items the Constructicons had left behind from when they had last made repairs to the structure and these made splendid missiles. The last thing flung at him struck his arm at an odd angle and now the elbow joint wasn't functioning properly. If Galvatron had continued his attack it would have been disastrous but instead he stood there quivering with fury before screaming at the other mech to get out of his sight. Despite the injuries and insults he suffered regularly, these incidents only made Cyclonus sad and frustrated. If there were just some way to repair the damage done by Thrull's plasma. He had spoken with Hook, who was as close as they had to medical personnel and that had resulted in nothing. Sometimes it felt like all the other Decepticons were getting dumber by the day. The visit to Torkulon might have done a minuscule amount of good but was mainly a disaster. There was now another possible source of information but he did not completely trust Stormvolt with such a sensitive matter yet. She was proving herself worthy of his efforts though. The seeker paid attention and he generally only had to demonstrate or explain something once. Perhaps his misfortune would be a good way to see if she really had any medical skill or was just exaggerating her former position.

xxxxxx

Stormvolt was trying to juggle three stones and thinking about her dream as she waited on Cyclonus to show up on the asteroid. What did it mean? Was it related to the voice in her head (which she still hadn't heard from and actually missed at first) or was it just some glitch that had nothing to do with anything? Or was it medical, like maybe related to her being tired all the time from the crappy energon and working her tail off? She tossed the rocks into the air and quickly established a rhythm. It still amazed her how much processors made things so much easier. She had never been able to do this as a human but if she let her systems more or less operate on their own, they easily found the precise coordination. Of course they did not adjust for everything.

"_Come in Stormvolt. This is Cyclonus." _It was her communicator, and it startled her into dropping the rocks.

"This is Stormvolt," she replied, tempted to add 'What's your twenty good buddy?' just to screw with him but she knew better. He wasn't totally humorless, however he was close enough.

"_Meet me at these coordinates,"_ and then the message was followed by a series of numbers.

"Acknowledged, departing now," she said. Hmmm. Evidently they were going to try something different today.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The _Vengeance _was an enormous ship and it was yet another thing the femme had not experienced. If she'd known it had been provided by Unicron, she would have been far more leery of venturing inside it. Despite practically being a spacecraft herself to some extent, she was awed by the machine. Sure she had lived in one for years but it was crashed, rendering it no different from any stationary structure. This vehicle was a far cry from the flying saucer depictions on all those shows about aliens, that was certain. She was trying to take it all in without being obvious and gawking around like some hick on their first visit to the big city. To do so would only raise questions. Ahead of her in the wide corridor were Cyclonus and Scourge, the latter of which she had been surprised to see. There had been no further explanation of why they were here so she just patiently waited. Presently, they came to a door inset into the right side of the hallway that led to a small room. Once inside, it was instantly recognizable as a repair bay.

"I have sustained minor damage. You will repair it." Cyclonus said, sitting at a table and resting his injured arm on it.

"What's wrong with it?" Stormvolt asked, eyeing the nasty scrape and dent on the side.

Rather than explain, the mech merely tried to bend the appendage and could move it to no more than a 45 degree angle. "You will find everything you need in the cabinets on the far wall," he said.

She nodded and after gathering a few tools for the task, stood to one side of the mech and began her work. As she started to look over the injury and remove a couple of armored plates, Scourge moved closer and watched her every move. So that's why he was there, protection in case she were to try something she shouldn't. He was wasting his time. She took pride in her work and besides, you don't win anyone over by sabotaging them.

Despite the scrape, the softer parts beneath didn't seem to be that disturbed. There was blue repair fluid here and there on some of the wire bundles. She began to gently poke around with a long pointed instrument in order to pry back some lines and wires to see further inside. This had been much easier in a lot of ways when she was only little more than five feet tall. The tool slipped just a bit and her patient flinched but made no sound.

"Sorry about that," she said.

"Nevermind," he replied, waving his free hand dismissively.

After another couple of minutes the culprit was uncovered.

"The main hydraulic actuator has a bent ram. It's not so bad that it couldn't be straightened out, but you aren't going to want to be on line while I remove it and put it back. Here, see for yourself," Stormvolt said, while holding the conduits and such that blocked the view out of the way. "How did you do that, anyway?"

"How long will it take?" Cyclonus asked, ignoring her question.

"Two hours at the most."

xxxxx

The estimation was only off by roughly fifteen minutes. It took a tad more work that she thought to get the actuator ram straightened out, but in the end it looked almost as good as new. Getting everything apart had been easy, the tough part would be putting it all back together. The seeker enlisted Scourge to help by holding things out of the way while she worked. The hunter was actually impressed. He had basic knowledge of field repairs but that was all. He watched as she went to great lengths to be gentle and disturb as few of the surrounding components as possible. Quite a far cry from the indiscriminate gouging and pulling that usually went on.

"How in the world did he do this?" Stormvolt asked as she gingerly reconnected some of the smaller circuits.

Scourge wasn't sure if he should say anything or not, but decided it might be better if she knew what she was dealing with. "Galvatron was … displeased, " he said.

"Over something specific or in general?"

"It doesn't matter, really. The results are the same."

She had noticed a few things that suggested prior repairs and so asked: "Does this happen often?"

"You could say that."

"To everyone or just him?" she asked, gesturing toward the off line mech with a tilt of her head.

"Eh, to whoever is handiest when the time comes. It's just that Cyclonus is never far, even when he doesn't have to be."

"He's certainly, loyal."

"Or fanatical," Scourge said quietly. "Listen, no one knows we're here."

"So?" The femme said, feeling very uneasy. What was he getting at?"

"So now would be the perfect opportunity."

"To do what?" She did not look at the mech but continued her work and tried to appear unconcerned.

"We could eliminate Cyclonus. No one would be any the wiser, and then it would be far easier to do likewise to Galvatron and finally end this insanity."

Holy shit! Here was some of that treachery her dream had mentioned. But it had to be coincidence. Decepticons were devious and some were very power hungry, so it was likely only a matter of time before something like this happened. What to do, though?

She pretended to consider the idea. "You do have a point. But who would be in charge then, _you_ I suppose? Hand me that soldering pen over there."

"Why of course. It was my idea, but there would be a place for you." Scourge was rather surprised. He was expecting no cooperation at all. The hunter turned and picked up the tool. When he turned back he was staring down the barrel of a cannon. This was more what he'd envisioned.

"Back up slowly."

"Surely we can come to some kind of understanding?"

"Shut the fuck up and get back. I won't tell you again." Her optics flared and to emphasize the point, the barrels inside the cannons' main casing spun madly with an electrical whirring sound.

He might be able to bat one arm down and then subdue her, but her other cannon was close to her side and aimed at his midsection. Not wanting to be fried from the inside out, Scourge complied and before it was over he found himself lying face down on the floor with his hands on the back of his head. This had been a bad idea.

"What are you going to do?"

Good question. "Nothing as long as you don't move. Cyclonus can shoot you himself, or feed you to a Sharkticon or whatever as soon as he snaps out of it."

The arm was repaired but missing its armor. She was afraid to attempt replacing it while she had to watch the prisoner. It wouldn't hurt though. The only thing left was to wait for the internal timer to bring the patient back on line.

It wasn't that long of a wait. The pair could hear the number three hydraulic pump begin to pressurize the system moments before the red optics lit and shone brightly for a few seconds before dimming back down to normal levels. Cyclonus sat up and began to inspect his arm by looking it over before bending it carefully and wiggling the fingers.

"Better?" Stormvolt asked.

"Apparently so. I will test it further at the training grounds."

He did not seem curious in the least as to why she was standing there with both weapons pointed at the hunter.

"Get up, Scourge," he said while still looking over the repairs.

"Don't move, slagger," the seeker growled, before addressing Cyclonus. "He wanted me to help him kill you and overthrow Galvatron."

"I know."

"What?"

"It was a test. You passed." Scourge said, finally getting to his feet.

Great. Do I get to go into the secret clubhouse now? She thought, but actually said: "And what exactly did you learn from this?"

"Your loyalty may not be as suspect as I first thought." Cyclonus replied.

"Really, I don't think I'll ever be anything BUT suspect with you."

"Perhaps not. We shall see."

Always with the tests. No one ever came out and said what was on their mind, she thought.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

There were many large structures on Chaar that had no current use, but they functioned well as clandestine meeting places. A pair of mechs had taken to going to one of them for further discussion of something that began as idle chit-chat. It was a private spot and no one should overhear them.

"You know we're dead if anyone hears of this," said the smaller of the two.

"Relax. But you know, we're going to have to talk to the others and get them to join us. Strength of numbers is the only way to get the job done."

"I don't know. Do you really think we could do it?"

"Of course. What other options do we have? I am not living the rest of my existence serving our crazy so-called leader. If we don't destroy him, it could easily be you or I the next time he glitches out."

"Yeah, but he's surrounded by those Sweeps and Scourge and Cyclonus, who's almost as bad, and now they got that femme. I, for one, do not want to wind up broiled alive. Primus!"

"That might be the answer," the larger 'bot mused. "She may not want anything to do with that bunch, and if we had someone close to them it would be that much easier."

"Well I'm not gonna go up and ask."

"Nor am I. For now we'll just watch and wait and see what happens."


	13. Distractions and Disruptions

Author's Note: I always liked Cyclonus. He's an interesting character. While he knows all this stuff about being a warrior, you could attribute that to programming. Compared to characters like Soundwave, he isn't old at all. (Technically he and Stormvolt would be the same age.) To me that would mean he would have the potential to experience a lot of "wtf?" moments when it came to certain things. This chapter borrows a little bit from the episode _Starscream's Ghost_ written by Megeen McLaughlin. Thanks for reading and for all the comments. I appreciate it. Here's 12. Enjoy. Transformers belongs to Hasbro and Takara.

A Blessing and A Curse  
By: Quetzal

Chapter 12  
Distractions and Disruptions

xxxxx

"Attack me."

"Do what?"

"Attack me. Try to take me down without using any weapons," Cyclonus said.

"And get my tail handed to me? No thanks," Stormvolt replied. She was no fool. Considering everything else that had happened since this training began, she was not about to willingly walk into something that sounded like it would only get her beaten up. After many weeks, they had moved beyond flight and target shooting drills and were now getting into things that didn't come as naturally to her.

"I will stop short of actually harming you."

"I doubt it."

"You are calling me a liar?"

"No, it's just that I suspect we have far different ideas of what constitutes harm."

"I will not inflict any lasting damage…unless you refuse to co-operate."

"Fine." It had been quite some time since he'd had to threaten her. "How hard am I supposed to try?"

"As though your life depends on it."

"But I don't want to cause any damage to you."

"It is a risk I am willing to accept," Cyclonus said with barely a trace of a smirk.

"You asked for it." The femme went into a crouch and slowly circled to one side edging closer to the mech who stood there unconcerned as though waiting for a bus. Why didn't he do something to defend himself? After several seconds of this she finally charged. His speed was not confined to his alt mode. Stormvolt quickly saw the world tilt crazily and then found herself lying flat on her back. Cyclonus was staring down at her (appearing upside down from her vantage point.)

"Try it again," he said.

And she did try again. And again and again with only slightly better results. Sometimes she landed on her back, and other times she wound up face down occasionally with one arm twisted behind her back. The twisting didn't hurt as her opponent stopped right before that happened. Once for variety he caught her arm and flung her skyward with it. That wasn't so bad, since activation of antigravity kept her from crashing into the ground or anything else.

"Why are we doing this?" She asked after yet another failed attempt.

"I wished to see what sort of fighting style you have."

"And?"

"I'm still waiting. Tell me, are you putting any strategy into this at all?"

"No, not really." What did she know about fighting anyone hand to hand? In her mind, the Sharkticon didn't count because weapons were used.

"Very well. Think for a moment about what you are doing rather than simply rushing at me blindly. And stop worrying that you will somehow cause injury. I know you possess more ferocity than this and I want to see it applied."

After several seconds she took a stance that suggested attack. "Are you ready?"

"Always."

So now he was getting uppity about it. Let's see how he liked this, the flier thought as she ran at him. She was willing to bet he hadn't seen much football.

Rather than standing nonchalantly, Cyclonus faced her, this time with more of a fighting posture. Stormvolt closed in on him and made a feint as though to attack the same way as she had done many times earlier but then at the last possible second changed trajectory and dove downward, catching the mech below the knees and promptly knocking him down. The machines colliding and falling sounded like a train wreck. The 'bot didn't account for her own momentum and wasn't expecting the target to pull both legs up thereby sending them both rolling end over end tangled together. Before they came to a stop she could feel him attempting to subdue her, so she fought back kicking and squirming and even throwing a couple of punches one of which actually made contact. The dust cleared and the seeker came out on the losing end again. Cyclonus was sitting on her, just keeping his full weight off, while pinning both hands against her wings. She thrashed around more but it was futile.

"Yes! That is what I mean. Much better!" Cyclonus said, absolutely beaming as he released her hands.

"What? I'm not exactly the winner here," the femme said, rubbing her wrist joints.

"No, there is much room for improvement but it _is_ forward progress," he replied.

"You want to go again?" Stormvolt asked, optics beginning to glow a brighter green in anticipation. She would fight as dirty as possible from now on and see what he made of that.

The initial pleasure at her advancement was rapidly replaced by something else totally foreign to the warrior. Watching her looking back at him with a challenging expression and optics that were burning intensely was giving him a weird feeling that wasn't anything he recognized and it made him uneasy.

"Yes, try it once more," he said absently, without moving.

"Alright. Rrrrgghh! Get off me, geez," came the reply as the seeker struggled to rise.

"You're lapsing back into…" he began to admonish her for the human expression and then was suddenly down again. As he had stood the seeker quickly swung one leg around and kicked him behind a knee joint. The weight of the engine in the lower half of her leg did the job wonderfully. She was surprised it worked but wasted no time in jumping on the mech while he was down. She had one hand planted in the middle of his chest armor and the other arm swung around in front of her like she was going to give him a backhand slap, but this was to utilize the blade extension of the armor on her forearm. She kept it pointed toward him but moved no further.

"Nicely done, but you aren't supposed to use weapons, remember?" Cyclonus said. Perhaps if he really wanted to, he could have gotten away. But the sensation of her weight pressing down on him and the heat radiating from systems that had been given a thorough workout was bringing back the peculiar feeling only stronger this time.

"What weapon? That's part of my arm, so it doesn't count. Besides I didn't use it to get you down here," she replied and then noticed her adversary looked a little odd. "Are you all right?" Crap, had she somehow managed to damage him? The big dope probably wouldn't admit it even if he were on fire.

"I'm fine, now remove yourself," he said a tad crossly. Was it some sort of processor malfunction? The confusion irritated him while at the same time a sneaking part of him liked it.

"Right. Of course," she said, trying not to smile and thinking he was merely pissed because she'd actually done it. Funny, she never would have taken him for a sore loser. She carefully rose partway before leaping sideways, turning in mid air to come down and roll forward and then she was up and ready to go. He wasn't going to get her with her own tricks.

Cyclonus watched this paranoid maneuvering with approval. He had no intention of trying anything yet but it was good that she was already thinking ahead. Still though, this would require a lot of practice and he found the idea enormously agreeable. What was wrong with him?

Stormvolt stood nearby lightly rocking back and forth, ready to charge as soon as she was permitted. Her human memories provided a wealth of new things to try once she started thinking about it. There was no way he'd expect a flying drop kick.

Before it could resume, training was interrupted.

"_Cyclonus, this is Scourge, come in."_

"What is it Scourge?"

"_You need to meet us outside of defense range of Cybertron. Octane has been spotted and Galvatron wants us to finish him."_

"I will join you as soon as possible."

"Who's Octane?" Stormvolt asked.

"A miserable renegade and traitor. We've been waiting for the chance to get him." His manner had changed from easy going to murderous as the tone of his voice dropped slightly lower than usual and became almost a growl, and the sound of it made the seeker extremely glad she wasn't the intended target.

"Do you need any help?"

"After what I've seen today, I don't think so."

"Why not? There aren't any rules against weapons in the real world."

"No, there isn't, but anything can happen and one must be prepared for that possibility." He liked her willingness to help, but she wasn't ready to be turned loose on their enemies just yet. "Soon you will be at that stage, but not today."

The blue and silver flier thought she'd done pretty well on her own and did not appreciate being treated like a kid, but didn't complain. Don't call me to bail you out, she thought.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Thrust was bored and in all probability wasting his time but there wasn't much else for him to do and certainly no one to hang around with. He was an outcast among his own kind. Every ground based Decepticon had nothing but scorn for a seeker whether they deserved it or not. And until recently he'd been the only one. Ever since Dirge and Ramjet had been wiped out Thrust became a pariah. The defection of Octane and the exile of Blitzwing only solidified his position. The dislike he faced was nothing new. That particular social division was practically as old as their faction, but before there were so many of them it didn't matter.

He missed his wingmates, even though they used to annoy him sometimes, what with Dirge's doom and gloom and Ramjet's mental instability after flying into a few too many obstacles in his lifetime. He was very lonely for other seekers and at this point would have welcomed even Starscream and that bunch. His group and theirs had their squabbles but in the end always came together when it was a mission or screwing with some of the ground based 'Cons. No one messed with one of them without the others pitching in. Whether it was because of a sense of solidarity or just the excuse to fight, he couldn't say. Now this Stormvolt shows up. There were rumors about her as there would be about anything new and unknown, but he decided it was time to introduce himself. Perhaps he could have at least one ally in this nest of vipers.

He was sitting on the rooftop the femme called home. Thrust hadn't really been expecting her to be there. Everyone knew about the special interest their leader and his henchmen had taken in her. There was speculation about that as well. If she were as bad as them, he would still be on his own. On the other hand, if those guys told you to do something, you'd be crazy to argue, so it was possible she was normal. He was curious to learn the answer, but this sitting around was getting him nowhere. As he was about to leave, he heard the roar of engines.

Stormvolt had been told that she was free for the remainder of the day, as there was no way to predict how long it would take to apprehend Octane. It was the first day she'd had to herself since she'd arrived. The options for how to spend it weren't numerous. As she approached Chaar, Cybertron was visible as were the remains of Unicron's head. That thing might be interesting to explore. She had never seen it up close and perhaps there was something useful inside. First she would return to her place and see if there was anything further to be done there. The building had a few parts left that she hadn't checked out and she wanted to make sure the whole thing wasn't about to fall down. Drawing nearer she was surprised to see someone waiting. The red paint and wings identified the figure as Thrust. What was he doing there? She tried to recall what he'd been like. He was the most normal seeming of the conehead jets but also he liked to brag and was often very full of bullshit. Those three weren't as outgoing as the others, but when she was still human, they had treated her with indifference or tolerance. Not too friendly but far nicer than many of the others.

She transformed and landed near him. "Hello."

"Greetings," Thrust replied.

They stood there looking at each other, neither one saying anything.

"Is there something I can do for you?" She finally asked.

"I haven't seen another seeker in a while so I thought I'd introduce myself. I am Thrust."

Wasn't that polite of him? She had to remind herself to act as though it were actually a first meeting. "I am Stormvolt."

The mech didn't really know where to go with the exchange. He wasn't in the habit of being sociable and as a result wasn't the greatest conversationalist, so he took the obvious route: "No one has seen you before. Where were you stationed?"

Ah, the million dollar question. Telling the truth probably wasn't the way to go here. Aside from Rumble, Frenzy, Soundwave, and the selected parts she told Cyclonus (who undoubtedly told Galvatron,) no one knew anything about her past. Maybe mysterious with a touch of implied tragedy was the way to play it. "I don't like to talk about it." She said, acting uncomfortable which wasn't much of a stretch.

"I see." So the speculation and rumors would continue. "This must not be so much better," he said, gesturing about.

"Eh, it's a disappointment but still better than being alone."

"I don't know about that."

She hated to bring it up, but if her story was going to hold water, ignorance of certain events had to be maintained. "You don't get along with your wingmates?"

Thrust looked a bit pained at the question before he replied: "I no longer have wingmates. They were destroyed by Autobots."

"Isn't there another squadron for you to join?"

"No. Until you arrived I was the one remaining seeker."

"Really?"

"Unfortunately, yes."

"That's got to be the worst," she commiserated, inadvertently setting her visitor off on a prolonged recounting of how much it sucked to be him.

xxxxx

"You don't think there's any chance of retaking Cybertron?" Stormvolt asked, hours later after discovering that Thrust was a lot chattier when you weren't a human. He had rambled on and on, and out of understanding for the way he felt, she'd let him.

"Possibly with some changes here and there, but it doesn't look good." He had nearly said 'leadership changes' but caught himself. Despite the lengthy discussion, he still didn't know where she stood on the issue of Galvatron.

"It's got to be hard to get everyone motivated if morale is as bad as you say."

"And that's only scratching the surface."

She was about to see what else he knew when her communicator interrupted.

"_Stormvolt come in." _It sounded like a Sweep, but which one? If they had names she hadn't heard anyone ever use them.

"Go ahead," she replied.

"_Where are you?"_

"Chaar. What's up?"

"_You must get out to the Vengeance ASAP. We will meet you there."_

"Acknowledged."

Thrust was watching her curiously. He knew about the ship but couldn't help wondering what kind of business she would have there already.

"Hey, I have to go. Maybe sometime we can get together and work on formation flying or something. It's been so long I've gotten rusty," she said, getting to her feet. It was partly a lie since she'd never actually flown that way, but she did want to learn.

Rusty? They didn't rust, and what did that have to do with formation drills? Nevertheless, he liked the idea. At last, he wasn't being shunned. "Very well."

"I can't say when that'll be with the way things are. They keep me busy."

"Indeed."

"But anyway. I'll catch you later." And then the seeker transformed and took off, leaving Thrust alone, except for the hidden audience of one secreted behind a crumbling structure nearby.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The Sweeps were nervous, having been through the most peculiar day they'd seen so far. First they chased Octane to the spooky depths of the Decepticon crypt then brought him back for interrogation. Cyclonus was acting weird in ways they couldn't figure out. It got so bad at one point that even his voice had changed from its usual low rumble to a high screech that for all the world sounded exactly like Starscream. Autobots had chased and attacked them. Galvatron eventually got involved, more strangeness ensued and then it culminated with the second in command getting blasted. They had arrived just after he took the hit. Neither of them could be sure of the why of it, but it was a close to normal as things had been all day. If they had gotten there sooner they would have seen something right before the shot. An ephemeral red and white blur had materialized near Cyclonus and then vanished mere microseconds before the laser hit its mark.

They were given orders to see that the mech was properly repaired. He could barely stand on his own and didn't seem to know what had happened. The first thing they did was take him to the makeshift repair facility on Chaar but Hook was nowhere to be found. He wasn't answering his communicator and there wasn't a lot of time to go hunting for him. Scourge had told them that the newest Decepticon appeared fairly knowledgeable and if they themselves needed some variety of minor repair, she would be the better choice. This wasn't minor damage though. Cyclonus had taken the full brunt of the shot right in the more vulnerable part of his midsection. The wound was still smoking and they weren't sure what to do. Finally it was decided that getting the seeker to take a look was better than doing nothing but they would depart for the _Vengeance_ since it had better facilities, and if she wasn't as skilled as Hook, any little thing might help.

xxxxx

"What the hell happened?" Stormvolt asked. She had entered the ship and went straight to the repair dock, expecting something, but certainly not what was there. Hadn't she done this already?

"Galvatron shot him," one of the Sweeps replied, without being able to provide the reason behind it or even offering to attempt to do so.

Incredible! They lived within sight of their deadly enemies of millions of years and she had seen no harm come to anyone because of them since she'd gotten there, only repeated injury to Cyclonus from their esteemed leader. Was this going to be a routine occurrence? A careful survey of the wound showed a lot of damage to the wiring and circuits and some hydraulic lines. With relief she saw that the main energon conduit was better protected and had escaped the worst of it. If that had been severed, the mech would be dead by now. Perhaps Galvatron had pulled his punch at the last second, so to speak. A few of the smaller return hoses were broken but his internal systems had compensated. One of the Sweeps had brought along bits and pieces that had flown off when the shot hit its mark and the parts were in a small pile next to their owner. This would take hours to fix. The subject was off line already and didn't seem wounded enough to induce stasis, so she got to work.

xxxxx

Consciousness returned slowly as systems rebooted one by one. His optics activated and Cyclonus was confused to find himself staring at the repair bay ceiling aboard the _Vengeance_. Why was he here? Oh, right. He had cornered the traitor Octane in the crypt, but then what? He could not recall anything until a brief period of awareness seconds after he was shot. The searing pain was worse than anything he had experienced so far. He had fought to stay conscious but drifted in and out before going off line. He could vaguely remember going to the lesser facility on Chaar but that was all. A metallic rattle pulled him from his reverie and told him he was not alone. He struggled to rise far enough to see what was going on. Various wires connected him to a small bank of monitoring equipment and pain flared through his lower torso. There were some nicely done welds and he could see that a few buttons on the panel there had been replaced. This did not look like the work of Hook or Swindle. Another oddity. Initially the Constructicon had done excellent work, but as time wore on he really didn't seem to care anymore. Swindle had never been that great, but he was better than nothing. He gingerly touched one of the silvery welds. It was straight and already ground down smooth. With some paint, you'd hardly even know it was there. He pushed on it experimentally with one finger and hissed when the gentle pressure hurt.

Stormvolt was putting away tools in an adjoining closet and cleaning up the area. Scourge had called the Sweeps back only a few minutes ago and she was alone with her patient. It was a little surprising that they left, considering that she could do anything now. Not that she would, but how could they know that? However, they were not missed. Fixing some of the more delicate circuits was hard enough without them crowding her space mistrustfully to watch every move that was made. The repairs had gone well and she was reasonably sure Cyclonus would be okay. But what if he'd been hurt worse? In the process of fixing the damage she was rather surprised to discover that she would be very unhappy if he didn't make it. The dream was right evidently. She did kind of like him. Not _like_ like, but he was deserving of respect. The pale purple mech was sorely lacking in the sense of humor department (Skywarp would have hated him) and he wasn't what you'd call a friend, but still…there was something that made him different. Perhaps it was the refusal to be beaten and degenerate into a state of squalor and lethargy, or maybe it was his sense of honor about his position as a soldier. She didn't know. So he'd likely be fine…this time, but what about the next? And if he kept on, there would certainly be a next time. It was never a good idea to get in the middle of something like this, but no one else was going to speak up. She'd have to take her chances and hope the mech didn't get too pissed off at her. There was a quiet sound and she returned the room to find Cyclonus inspecting the wound.

"Hey, you're back," she said, crossing the floor to the table where the mech was leaning on one elbow and still looking out of it. "You should take it easy though. I don't think your internals have it under control just yet." The mech decided to co-operate when she lightly pushed against his shoulder to get him to lie back again, and he couldn't help but notice that she gave the impression of being exceedingly pleased.

"How do you feel?"

"It still hurts."

"I bet. You took a pretty good hit. Do you remember what happened?"

"Not completely."

The seeker appeared to be struggling with the impulse to say something further.

"What?" Cyclonus asked.

She looked very thoughtful but wasn't making optic contact. "Don't get mad, and listen, usually I mind my own business about stuff like this…"

"But?"

"But, this keeps happening and it's worse every time. I just think…" she really didn't know if she should keep going, and paused, glancing at him doubtfully.

"Out with it," he said. What was wrong with her?

"Cyclonus, you could do better. There, I said it." The femme crossed her arms and stepped back, as though expecting an argument.

The mech was nonplussed. "I don't know what you mean."

She was going to have to spell it out for him. Shit. "There's a lot of other mechs. You could surely find someone who didn't treat you like this."

"Are you suggesting supplanting Galvatron? That is treasonous!" He said, trying to rise to a sitting position and wincing in pain.

"No, no, no. Not as leader. As... well, you know," she said, placing a hand on his shoulder again and pushing him back down.

"You aren't making any sense." His growing frustration was becoming obvious.

"I understand you have feelings, but it seems clear to me that Galvatron doesn't return them. I mean there's not one of us who hasn't been in the same circumstance at some point in our lives, but he's only taking advantage of you. You're intelligent, surely you can see this." And then something else occurred to her and she gave him a sidelong glance. "Unless you're some kind of masochist, in which case I don't want to know and forget I said anything."

What in the name of sanity was she going on about? He could do better, unreturned feelings, and other mechs? Stormvolt had said all she was going to about the matter and had returned to putting things away and tidying up. She didn't see when comprehension dawned on the other Decepticon. The quiet chuckle, however, grabbed her attention. She turned to see him actually smiling, albeit wanly, and scrubbing a hand over his face as though very tired. She had expected anger or denial or some type of outburst, but not this.

"You think I have feelings of affection for our leader, is that it?"

"Yes," she replied cautiously.

"Galvatron is a great and mighty ruler and I would follow him to the ends of the universe. I would give my life for him in the name of our cause. But as for the other, you are mistaken." He knew that he shouldn't be surprised she came to that conclusion. The idea was probably planted by someone else, considering how the others indulged in speculation and baseless gossip at every opportunity. Slag them. It wasn't his fault the dolts couldn't grasp the concepts of dedication and loyalty.

"Oh." She felt like an idiot.

Cyclonus thought it interesting that she would be so concerned for his welfare in such a matter, but this was not a discussion that warriors should be having. It wouldn't stop him from thinking about it later though. "Do not concern yourself any further and let me add you would be wise to maintain that policy of minding your own business in the future."

"Consider it done."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Flight was Thrust's preferred method of travel, but he had discovered that it was possible to learn a lot by walking sometimes. He was almost silent that way and now and then came upon some of the others and could hear what, if anything, they might be up to.

He had been wandering around aimlessly and considering the idea of there being other seekers somewhere that might show up in the future. It was just a pointless daydream, but if there was one there could be others. Lost in thought, he didn't hear someone approach from behind until it was too late to run.


	14. Let me up, I've had enough

Author's note: Speed tape is like really heavy aluminum foil with sticky stuff on one side. It's often used for temporary repairs of minor damage on aircraft. On an unrelated note, I'm among those who favor the Cyclonus was Skywarp theory. There are arguments both ways, (and I can't believe the level of analysis people have put into it) but I like that idea better and I was never a big fan of Insecticons. Thanks for reading and for the reviews and favs. Transformers belongs to Hasbro and Takara.

A Blessing and A Curse  
By: Quetzal1

Chapter 13  
Let Me Up, I've Had Enough

xxxxx

Thrust heard a sound behind him and as he turned to see what it was, his head was abruptly covered by something that totally blocked his vision. Multiple blows rained down on him until he fell, then it changed from punches to a couple of expertly placed kicks that hurt badly but didn't cause any internal damage.

"What do you want? I don't have any energon," he said. That was the only thing of value anyone had and he couldn't imagine why else someone would do this.

"Nobody cares about that. What we want to know is what you and the femme were talkin' about for so long," a voice asked. The seeker thought he recognized it but maybe not. Whoever it was, they were trying to disguise it. He couldn't really concentrate on that subtlety though, as hands were grabbing him and pinning him down.

"Nothing."

"Don't lie to us. Nobody talks about nothin' for _that_ long," the voice said, before another sharp kick to the midsection was delivered.

"I'm not lying."

"You wanna do this the hard way? Is that it?"

Thrust could feel someone's foot coming to rest gently on one wing.

"There aren't any other seekers so I wanted to introduce myself. Ow!" The foot was beginning to apply pressure and the rough edges of the bottom treads were sharp.

"Just a little social call, eh?" He heard snickers at this feeble witticism. "Where did she come from?" The pressure on his wing was not lessening but it wasn't increasing either.

"When I asked, she said she didn't like to talk about it." The treads slowly began biting further into the sheet metal. Thrust grunted but managed not to cry out, depriving them of their sick satisfaction.

"You're going to have to do better than that."

"It's true! I tried to find out anything I could but she wasn't forthcoming. She only had questions."

"About what?"

"About Chaar and what we did here and the end of the war."

The anonymous tormentor considered that. It made sense. There would be a lot of catching up to do. But there was also the possibility she was merely trying to ingratiate herself to him, perhaps to gain entrée to the rest of them so as to spy for Galvatron. He looked down at the captive. It would be a shame to waste such an opportunity. He hadn't interrogated anyone in a long time and missed being able to fully exercise his sadistic side.

Thrust was unable to stay quiet when the force against the sensitive appendage suddenly increased. He thrashed and struggled but the hands kept him firmly in place and he could hear various sounds of amusement.

"Are you sure that's all it was about?" The voice asked softly while the treads tore the metal skin on the wing and threatened to buckle a spar inside it.

"AAAAUUUGHH! YES I'M SURE! THERE WAS NOTHING ELSE!" The seeker cried as the foot slowly started to rotate back and forth, ripping metal to shreds as it ground in as though extinguishing a cigarette. Energon began to seep up through the jagged holes.

"You'd better be. If I find out you lied, I'll punch all the way through on both sides next time."

The hands released him, though not before one of them cruelly poked the tear in his wing. Thrust was nearly mad with pain and could only crunch into a ball and lie there.

None of them were aware that nearby the entire incident was being recorded for posterity. Ravage could have attacked Vortex and that would have probably startled Brawl and Dragstrip into releasing the seeker, but he had his orders. He was to observe in total secrecy. And honestly, what did he care one way or the other? He also wondered why Soundwave would be so interested in what the others were doing. His master had been acting strangely for a while. The mechanoid cat was extremely observant, that being his primary function, and had noticed that Soundwave wasn't recharging the way he would normally. The cycle was broken and irregular. It made him irritable and preoccupied and that in turn made the rest of them uneasy. Ravage did not dream and might have had a hard time understanding the concept if anyone tried to explain it.

He waited to see if Thrust had gone off line. The injury looked pretty nasty to him. He wasn't introspective but couldn't help noticing the level of maliciousness of his fellow Decepticons seemed to be increasing the longer they were there as though they were turning on each other. Not that there wasn't some degree of that all the time, but it was going to be out of control soon if something didn't change. The seeker finally sat up and then stood. He certainly shouldn't try to fly like that since it would only aggravate the wound, and he didn't. Ravage remained out of sight until Thrust trudged away and then picked up the trail of Vortex and the others. Experience told him there was likely some reason other than ordinary meanness for what they had done and Soundwave would want to know what it was.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Scourge stood in a huge empty area wondering what had happened to him. He discovered Cyclonus and Octane had come back to Chaar and was going to investigate further when Galvatron also returned in roughed up condition and an extremely foul mood. The tracker didn't want to risk whatever might happen (and even on a good day, anything could happen where their leader was involved) but he went anyway, signaling the Sweeps to join him as he walked. They got there in time to see Cyclonus shot for whatever transgression and then everything was blank for a while. When he came to his senses again, he was quite a distance from their headquarters and absolutely clueless as to the fact he had facilitated Octane's escape back to Cybertron. As his awareness returned, he could have sworn he heard a high screechy cackle. Quickly trying to turn several directions at once did nothing to help. There was no one there but him. This wasn't good. He called the Sweeps and inquired about their location. What were they doing on the _Vengeance_? He didn't ask. It was possibly he who sent them there in the first place and he didn't want anyone to know that he was experiencing some sort of glitch. Weakness could not be shown under any circumstance. There would later be many self diagnostic scans completed before he convinced himself that he was truly okay.

xxxxx

The Sweeps were anxious, although it was a much more familiar variety now. Not far away they could hear Galvatron ranting about Starscream and the worthlessness of his own troops. They feared the possibility of his coming outside and spotting them and so were trying to stay out of sight by hiding on the far side of a jagged rock formation without actually looking like they were being cowardly.

Scourge easily found them and landed in their midst. "Report," he commanded. It seemed the easiest way to figure out what was going on without anyone knowing of his lapse.

"Cyclonus is going to recover. You were right about that femme knowing her way around a repair dock," one Sweep informed him.

"I said for minor repairs."

"We know. And we tried to find Hook first, but he was gone."

"What do you mean 'gone'?"

"Not there and not answering his communicator," said a different Sweep.

Scourge was going to be glad to see the end of this day, of that he was certain. Where could Hook have gone? He was about to order a search when he spotted the Constructicon landing near the edifice housing their repair station.

"Let's go see what his problem is," Scourge growled. By ignoring the Sweeps, Hook had as good as ignored Scourge and he couldn't have that.

It was a very short trip and the group entered the large, round room silently. Hook was bent over a microscope studying something intently. He was clueless to the fact he wasn't alone until a hand fell on his shoulder and an angry voice boomed:

"WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE TO DISMISS OUR SUMMONS?!"

The Constructicon jumped and spun around, knocking the object of his interest to the floor. Scourge stood there glowering and apparently ready for a fight, with Sweeps flanking him. What was this maniac screaming about?

"What do you mean? No one's called me all day."

"He lies, Scourge," one of the Sweeps hissed.

Hook looked at them stupidly and then an idea dawned. "It was probably the ore! It can produce a degree of interference with communications," he said.

"What?"

"See this?" He asked, snatching the chunk of what appeared to be rock away from the nearest Sweep who had retrieved it from the floor and was lightly tossing it into the air over and over like a pitcher waiting for the catcher to give him the sign.

"So?"

"This is Ranazite," he said, turning the stone around so they could all see the faintly glowing, reddish streaks embedded inside. "We can convert this to a much better grade of energon than we have now."

"Are you certain?"

"Fairly. I was checking into it when you interrupted," Hook said, with a bit of his old hauteur. "We've discovered a huge deposit of it, enough to last for a very long time."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The internal repair systems had mostly done their job and Cyclonus was feeling much better. He stood and twisted around one way and other. The welds held up fine and there wasn't too much pain. It might be another day before he was one hundred percent, but this was acceptable.

"You ought to take it easy for a while until that's healed properly," Stormvolt said.

"I'll be fine."

The femme shrugged. "Suit yourself." She was already resigned to the fact that she'd undoubtedly be patching him up on a regular basis.

"_Cyclonus, where are you?"_ Scourge said over the communicator. He sounded kind of excited.

"I am still aboard the Vengeance. What is it?"

"_There's something you have to see."_

"Can't you just tell me?"

There was a brief pause as Scourge considered. Well, so much for his taking it easy. Couldn't any of these guys make a move on their own? Stormvolt wondered.

"_No, you'd better come here."_

"Where are you?"

"_Chaar. The repair bay."_

"I am departing now."

Used to being left to her own devices when anything happened, the seeker was surprised when the mech said "Let's go."

xxxxxxxxxxxxx

Ravage was wedged into a gap between a section of a building that had fallen and the part that remained standing. He had followed Vortex and the others at a safe distance. Eventually Brawl and Dragstrip had gone off on their own, but he stayed with the ringleader. If any of them were going to do something with the scrap of information they had gotten, it would be him. The Combaticon had no clue that anyone was tracking his movements.

Vortex headed away from the more populated areas and at last came to a structure, which like most on Chaar, was partially in ruins. Ravage peered about and did not see nor smell anyone else nearby, so he quickly and silently slunk over to a small dark space near a large crack in the wall of the building.

"That's it?" An annoyed voice asked. Ravage identified it as Motormaster.

"Hey, I didn't want to kill him…Well, not yet." Vortex replied.

"And he couldn't tell you anything about her, huh?"

"Just what I already told you. She didn't say where she'd been and asked a lot of questions. You think it means anything?"

"I don't know. We'll have to keep watching and wait for a better chance." Motormaster replied before changing the subject: "So...what did you do to make him talk?" He thoroughly enjoyed the tales of brutality the Combaticon told.

Ravage could have informed the Stunticon leader that Vortex was embellishing on Thrust's reactions a great deal. The seeker had handled himself much better in reality than he did in the retelling.

"That sounds about right. I hate those slaggers." Motormaster said, and then the mention of hating someone triggered another thought. "Oh! That reminds me. I heard Cyclonus got blasted again. "

"Did it deactivate him?" Vortex asked hopefully.

"Nah, I don't think so," was the disappointed sounding answer. "But that's okay, it means I still have a chance at being the one to do it."

"And after that, it'll be nothing to get to Galvatron."

"Don't be in a rush. We have to take this slowly and carefully."

"I know, I know, but you can't blame me for fantasizing a little."

"Come on. Let's go see if Swindle's managed to grab any extra energon."

Outside, Ravage withdrew further into his dark hiding place, dimming his optics to minimize the chances of being spotted. As soon as it was safe, he took off for home. Soundwave was definitely on to something, and no doubt would find this information interesting.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The energon leaking from the wound had slowed as his internal systems did their work. That was one thing Thrust had to be glad of. The wing still hurt a lot and all the mech wanted to do was get it mended and then go off somewhere and recharge. The walk to the repair station was a long one and the seeker fervently hoped that there was someone around to help him. If he had to attempt something on his own, the end result probably wouldn't be too pretty.

He wasn't expecting an entire crowd to be there when he finally made it. The group was deep into a rather animated discussion of something. The seeker felt awfully conspicuous when they all stopped to stare at him.

"What is it?" Cyclonus asked.

"I have damage," Thrust replied, pointing toward the jagged gashes in his wing.

Hook made an annoyed face and started to move in that direction but stopped when the purple mech looked at Stormvolt and said: "Attend to him." He was curious to see what she would do with facilities that were far from ideal.

The femme nodded and left the small circle. "Damn, who did you piss off?" she asked upon getting a close up view of the wound.

Thrust did not immediately answer. 'Who did you piss off?' He knew the expression and had been asked that before in relation to battle damage, but where? "I do not know."

"How can you not know?"

They had reached a table and the femme motioned for the other seeker to sit there. "Because I was attacked from behind and they put something over my faceplate so I couldn't see."

"Where was this?"

"Not that far from here," he said, and then transmitted the coordinates.

"And it was other Decepticons that did it?" Stormvolt asked as she searched for items to facilitate the repairs.

"Yes."

This was a poor excuse for a repair bay. Everything was in disarray and/or dirty. It was totally unlike the Constructicon she had known who always had to have everything perfect. She had to interrupt Hook via communicator a few times, for all the good it did. (She had almost yelled her questions across the room out of habit, but caught herself in time. If Cyclonus wasn't hanging around she might have done it anyway, but she presumed he would find it too human.) Each of her inquiries about various items were responded to with the answer that there wasn't any of whatever it was or he didn't know its location. Utterly baffling. She wondered what Scrapper thought about it.

The latest item not available was patches. Nice. Patches were one of the most common things one would have, like Band Aids in a first aid kit and there was nothing. She continued to rummage through the various items before finding a partial roll of heavy aluminum tape. She glanced at the object with disgust before tossing it back onto the pile. You couldn't fix an injury like this with speed tape. The femme went back to peer at the damage again. The metal was ripped in several places but it was all around one big piece. Because they were all made of metals not of Earth origin, there was the possibility she could remove it, flatten it out and put it back with come careful welding. That would heal faster than a patch with a bunch of rivets anyway.

xxxxx

Not only was there someone to help, but it was the one 'Con who didn't hate him. Thrust felt pretty lucky. The others were still quietly discussing something while the femme worked to repair his damage. He refused to go off line with so many other Decepticons he didn't trust in the same room but finally consented to allowing a neurocoupler to be disconnected. When it happened his entire right side drooped and he began to get system alarms. It felt peculiar, but it wouldn't hurt that way. The femme began by removing the main, crumpled piece of metal on the wing. It was twisted but salvageable. The next step was finding more tools with which to flatten and smooth it out.

Thrust watched and listened as she began the hunt, growing more and more aggravated by the conditions of the repair dock. It was almost non-stop grumbling with more than a few human swears.

"How the hell are you supposed to fix anyone in this mess?" She said quietly while pawing through the various detritus in one cabinet before standing and moving objects on a nearby counter. "I've seen junkyards that were better organized." After more searching she noticed a cabinet on the wall that had gone overlooked. Upon opening the door, various items cascaded out onto the floor, some of them hitting the seeker on the way down.

"Ow! What the fuck is this bullshit!?" Hey, there was the hammer she was searching for, no doubt that was what bounced off one shoulder on the way down.

Listening to this helped Thrust to remember where he had heard the earlier question. It was the same place he'd heard grumbling of this nature. It was strange but he still thought it was amusing.

Stormvolt noticed him grinning as she came back to the table with the necessary equipment. "What?"

"It's nothing."

"What is it? I could use a laugh."

"For a moment you reminded me of someone."

"Who?"

"There was this human who lived at our base of operations on Earth. If she were annoyed enough, she would act like you were a few seconds ago." Uh oh. He'd gone too far. The mech mistook surprise for offense.

For a second the femme didn't know what to say. He had come the closest of anyone to figuring out the truth and totally by accident. She noticed his suddenly apologetic expression and seized upon the chance to throw him off the trail.

"Do you think it wise to insult someone about to weld on you?" She asked, triggering the device used for that job causing it to flash and spit a few sparks.

"No. I'm sorry."

"It's alright, but don't do it again." She didn't want to come down too hard on him, considering what a rough time he'd been having but she couldn't have him making that comparison and especially not to anyone else. She would _really _have to start watching her behavior and not only because it kept Cyclonus off her case.

xxxxx

If not for the disorganization of the needed materials, Thrust's repairs would have gone faster. The others were, for the most part, disinterested in that. Hook had to run some tests in order to determine if the ore was truly Ranazite and it took time. Scourge and the Sweeps were sitting here and there acting bored. Occasionally one of them wandered across the room to peek over Stormvolt's shoulder, hoping for something more interesting than waiting on test results, but it was nothing aside from a lot of delicate welding. She noticed that Thrust would tense up every time one of them came near. You couldn't blame him really. He had told her more about what happened and neither of them could figure out why anyone would want to beat that information out of him instead of casually asking. Although, she thought, if it'd been her taking all this ostracism, she wouldn't tell them a thing either (even though there was nothing to tell) unless they beat it out of her.

Cyclonus leaned against a wall watching the activity. The femme appeared completely focused and it wasn't even that serious a wound. Interesting to think _he_ was the subject of that focus only a few hours ago. It was nice to know that you were restored by someone who took their work seriously. The pair was discussing something as she went about her business. There was too much noise from the welder and whatever the Constructicon was doing to be able to make out what they were saying. But what did he care? The mech casually observed until the task was completed. The blue and silver 'bot helped the seeker sit up before reconnecting the neurocoupler. They exchanged more words and Thrust carefully flexed the wing and said something else that made the femme gently touch the repair and smile a little before he jumped down from the table. He had his back to the others but must have continued the conversation because Stormvolt nodded with a grave expression and then gave him a pat on the side of one arm before turning away to tidy up the way she always did after finishing a job.

As he headed toward the exit, Thrust became aware that Cyclonus was giving him a _very_ hard look. Of course he always had a sour expression but right now it seemed especially so. It had to be his imagination or maybe he wasn't happy about the disruption. No, it was surely just paranoia…he hoped.

Cyclonus wasn't aware of the way he was glaring at the other mech. And it wasn't actually Thrust himself that was causing it. It was the feelings that he set off. The second in command generally did not like things he couldn't understand and right then he could not make sense of why he felt a powerful wave of displeasure and an urge to do some sort of minor damage to the seeker as he walked by. It had to be an aftereffect of being shot. A nice, long, quiet recharge was sounding better and better.

"Cyclonus, could I have a word with you?" Stormvolt asked, stepping back when he turned to face her. Yikes, what a look! She had cleaned up as much of the mess as she was going to and now wanted to find out if there was any kind of order at all on Chaar. It couldn't be a good idea to let your soldiers start behaving like a total bunch of lawless thugs. Perhaps they didn't have enough to keep them busy. Of course she would have to be extremely careful. He would wonder why some of the others would want to beat trivial information out of one of their fellows when they could have just as easily spoken with her. They _were_ supposed to know her. Keeping what lies she'd told and to whom straight was becoming quite a task.

"What about?" He asked, expression immediately calming down back to its usual, less threatening scowl.

There wasn't time to get the question out. Hook returned, his expression telling them all they needed to know. Law and order on Chaar was going to have to temporarily take a back seat to Ranazite and all that its discovery made possible.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Starscream had escaped. Even dead the seeker was set on being the bane of his existence. Galvatron paced angrily back and forth, pausing only to punch a wall or throw some random object. Still more failure. Why could there never be even a small success? He was still beat up from the Autobots' ambush that he had been led into by Cyclonus while he was still possessed by the ghost of the long dead air commander. It was only more fuel for his rage.

Perhaps being Galvatron was a curse. Nothing had gone right since this identity was forced upon him. Things only got worse by the day.

_**This brooding over past failures will get you nowhere.**_

No one would have been shocked to learn that Galvatron heard voices. The unusual part was that it was his own, old voice and it hadn't always been there. It had been speaking to him for many weeks now and it did not show him any respect.

"And what would you have me do?" The mech had no reservations about speaking out loud to the voice when he was alone.

**_Perhaps jump into a Sharkticon pit, but then where would _I_ be?_**

"Slag off if you aren't going to be helpful. I have enough dead weight in my army as it is."

_**That's where you are mistaken. You just don't know what to do with them.**_

"Ha! You had your chance and failed pitifully so don't tell me how to rule."

**_And what heights have _you_ reached, hmmm? We never lived on this rock when I was in control._**

"Shut up!" If he knew how, Galvatron would not have hesitated to tear the cause of the voice out of his head.

_**What if you were to try something different?**_

"Such as?"

_**Such as a new perspective or opinion on things.**_

"Spare me. I already know the others can't propose anything useful."

_**I said**_ **new **_**perspective**__._

"I heard you the first time." Where would he get….and then the potential source of a fresh viewpoint occurred to him. Probably it was a waste of time, but maybe it wouldn't be a total loss. The Decepticon ruler smiled as sparks began to shoot outward from his damaged cranial chamber. Oh well, at the absolute least it would be fun to torment the femme if she had nothing constructive to offer.


	15. Captive Audience

Author's Note: Here we are again. It was kind of hard to get back in the writing groove after being away from it for a week. Thanks for the nice comments. I am blown away by the enthusiasm sometimes. Seriously. Transformers is the property of Hasbro and Takara, but not me.

xxxxxx

A Blessing and A Curse   
By: Quetzal

Chapter 14  
Captive Audience

"_I used to be temporarily insane. Now I'm just stupid." - Brak_

The excavation didn't look like much. In fact, it didn't have any appearance of organization whatsoever. There were random holes and piles of rock and debris. It looked like someone with no prior experience had gone out to a big empty lot to play with a bunch of construction equipment. There were spots that were leveled and areas crisscrossed with trenches. It was in one of these trenches that Scavenger had discovered the large rock with the faintly glowing veins of red. His sensors had alerted him to the element but he didn't immediately know what it was. In the back of his processors, he knew it was important, but the information wasn't coming easily. He took his find to the others and eventually they were able to determine a possible identity for it. Hook took the stone and went back to the repair facility with it for testing, as that was as close a thing to a laboratory as they had. The remaining Constructicons were sitting on the edge of one of the trenches waiting for confirmation of what they had found. If there was a limit to the deposit, Scavenger had been unable to locate it.

Scrapper was beginning to get impatient when he spotted multiple figures headed that way. In the open area near the trench, Hook landed and was followed by Cyclonus, Scourge, all three Sweeps and Stormvolt.

"There," Hook said gesturing toward the largest trench.

The rest of the group went over to peer into its depths. If one adjusted their optics so that they functioned at levels similar to human eyesight, the entire ditch looked to be striped with red lines that vaguely reminded the femme of glow in the dark toys that used to come in cereal boxes occasionally. As they stood there, the Constructicons wandered over to join them.

"The first thing we must do is establish security. The area has to be protected," Cyclonus said to Scrapper.

"How?" the Constructicon leader asked.

"We will need guard posts surrounding the excavation but they should be camouflaged," he answered as though musing to himself rather than speaking to Scrapper. "And the main site must be obscured so it is not easily spotted from the air… or by telescope," he added, casting a frown toward Cybertron which was just visible over the horizon as it set like the sun.

"How are we supposed to build guard posts and the rest?"

"The same way you build anything here: use whatever you can find."

It confounded Stormvolt that Scrapper of all mechs would ask a question like that. When it came to design he was a genius and he seemed to completely overlook Mixmaster's talent for creating needed substances from whatever was around. It was as though they had forgotten almost everything they knew.

"We should probably not tell the others yet, either," Scourge added.

"Agreed. They will know soon enough when it comes time for them to help remove the ore and guard the mine. And of course no one is to mention this to Galvatron." Cyclonus said.

The seeker wanted to ask why, but didn't think it smart to appear to be questioning orders in front of the others. Wouldn't you want to tell him anything that might improve his disposition?

The opportunity for answers came sooner than expected. The Sweeps had placed themselves at strategic points near the mine and the Constructicons were starting to gather materials and get a feel for the assigned task when the call came.

"_Cyclonus, where are you?" _Came the strident voice of Galvatron over the communicator.

"I am conducting an aerial survey on the far side of Chaar," Cyclonus lied smoothly.

"_Well stop right now and return to headquarters and make sure to bring your little friend along."_

"As you command."

Stormvolt looked at him expectantly. She'd been standing there waiting for orders, perhaps to patrol the perimeter, when Galvatron called. The femme did a wonderful job of masking her disgust at the "little friend" remark.

"Scourge, you are in charge. See that these idiots don't start slacking off."

The tracker nodded and walked away. He would much rather be in charge of something like this, dull though it may be, than going where they were.

The two fliers transformed and turned toward the dilapidated headquarters. Their fearsome leader had not indicated why he wanted them but he had that unmistakable tone of voice that Cyclonus recognized from experience as boding ill for someone. Since the femme's presence was particularly requested, he had a sinking feeling she might be that someone this time. Of course this came with the territory but he thought he would have more time to prepare her for the situation. Once they were well away from the fledgling mine and in an area that was totally empty, he told her to transform and land.

"What's wrong? Is it your injury?" She asked.

"No, I'm fine. I need to discuss something with you and we haven't much time."

His grave manner and sense of urgency made her uneasy. "What is it?"

"I'm sure you've noticed that Galvatron is…not quite himself."

Not quite himself? That was certainly a more polite way to put it than Rumble had when she first got here, but batshit crazy seemed MUCH more accurate. "Yes, I've noticed."

"You must understand that he has endured a great deal and it has been difficult for him."

Good Lord, but this guy would have made a wonderful PR rep. "Right. He was in some kind of accident or something?"

"Yes and although he remains a brilliant leader, it has made him a bit …unstable." How did she know about what happened on Thrull? There wasn't time to get sidetracked with such trivialities.

"It's also made him more violent too, hasn't it?" It was more a statement than a question.

"He tends to become easily frustrated with the failings of others, and that will sometimes lead him to discipline them harshly."

"Let's just put it out there. He gets angry and takes it out on whoever is closest, am I right?"

Cyclonus scowled and started to speak as though he was going to argue but then he stopped and took on a downcast expression. "Yes." He quickly got over it and added, "But he is still a gifted ruler."

She nodded, initially feeling a little bad about being so blunt until the second comment. She'd seen the results of this purported giftedness and remained unimpressed.

"But since he has specifically requested your presence, I wanted to advise you on a few things before we got there."

Nothing wrong with some advance warning. "Such as?" She asked.

"Should be become irritated, whether it is your fault or not, he could attempt to strike you. Defend yourself by blocking but do not try to fight back."

"What would happen if I did?"

"If you were to counterstrike, it could be construed as a challenge to his leadership. I suspect if he were to think that this was your intention, he would kill you. At the absolute least you would be severely beaten."

Crap. This just kept getting better and better. "So what am I supposed to do besides block his punches? What if he tries to shoot me like he did you?"

"Sometimes he can be reasoned with while you are defending yourself."

"What if he can't?"

"His attacks are vicious but usually short lived."

The femme was not looking too confident with the answer. She learned well by example, so the mech decided a demonstration was in order.

"Galvatron frequently attacks in the same way which makes it easier to protect yourself," he said and then suddenly sprang at her swinging one arm down like a hammer, right at her head.

Without thinking, she crossed her arms at the wrists, thrusting them above her head in time to catch the mech's fist before it hit her.

How fortuitous. She was better at defending than attacking. "Very good. Most of the time it will be that manner of assault or something similar. However, make sure you do not let him back you into a corner."

"Why do we want to keep the Ranazite a secret from him?"

"Part of his genius is to anticipate the actions of others. Unfortunately, this can be taken to acute levels at which he may suspect us of using the find in a deceitful fashion. Also, things are in a disorganized state and he is intolerant of imperfection."

So…on top of being insane, he was paranoid and a perfectionist. How nice. And then the seeker realized something: "You still haven't told me what to do if he shoots or won't listen to reason."

"You'll simply have to do the best you can, but do not run away. That will only make it worse." He had seen others attempt to escape by fleeing and it only enraged their leader further.

"I'll try, but I'm not feeling too positive about any of it."

"There is always the possibility that he merely wishes to know what sort of progress we have made in your training." Cyclonus said, noting her doubtful expression and not really believing it himself.

Yeah, or maybe he _merely wishes_ to rip my head off, she thought.

xxxxx

Galvatron heard the rumble of engines that abruptly stopped as it got close. It must be his second in command and the femme. He was slouched down in his shabby throne waiting. After a few moments the pair entered the room.

"You wanted to see us mighty Galvatron?" Cyclonus asked.

Stormvolt was hardly able to stand still. Her nervousness was disguised for the time being, but she was very much on edge.

"I presume your repairs are satisfactory?" He replied, standing and coming toward them.

"Yes, I am fully functional."

"Good. Now go away," he said, drawing nearer and then walking around the femme in a close circle. "I want to get better acquainted with our newest soldier."

Gross! Why did he have to act to creepy? She glanced at Cyclonus, trying to convey her nervousness. The mech looked uncomfortable, but what could he do? Nothing, and besides, she should be honored that their leader was willing to spend his time on her. He bowed slightly toward Galvatron and then turned and left. At some point this would have happened anyway. He reminded himself that the seeker was resourceful and more than a little lucky. Hopefully it would turn out all right.

"How are you liking it here so far?" Galvatron asked, standing close and then turning as though to walk away.

"I like it fine." Stormvolt said. The words were barely out when the mech turned like lightning and hit her in the side of the head. She staggered sideways and was then pinned against a wall. The tyrant had his left forearm across her throat and the other pulled back as if to punch her again.

"Don't lie to me. I have more than enough of you telling me what you think I want to hear," he said, in a quiet deadly tone. He was close enough that she could have felt his breath if they had such a thing, and his optics burned a bright crimson. "Now lets try this again. How are you _really_ liking it here?"

Was it a trick? Would any answer be the wrong answer? Should she tell the truth? Try another, better lie?

_**Maybe you shouldn't read so much into it and just answer him.**_

Where have you been all this time? She was astounded to hear the gravelly rasp in her mind, certain that whatever caused it had been broken long ago. That smack to the head must have fixed it.

_**Never mind that. Answer him.**_

"I came here expecting Cybertron, so I'm a little disappointed," she said hesitantly, while bracing for the next hit.

"Only a little?"

"Okay, a lot."

"There. Was that so difficult?" The mech said, but did not release her. Instead, he moved yet closer until only a few inches separated them and spoke directly into her audio receptors. "You know, I could rend you into scrap a piece at a time, just for fun," he said in a soft voice that would have been more suited to a come-on than a threat. "You could scream until you burned out your vocal processors and no one would help you." He could feel the vibrations from her internal systems ramping up in preparation for whatever came next and thoroughly enjoyed the fear he instilled the way a vampire enjoyed blood.

"But why would you want to do that?" She asked, trying for sad and confused and hoping it worked all while doubting pity was anything he was familiar with.

"Yes. Why indeed?" Galvatron suddenly asked in a cheerful tone while stepping away from her and actually smiling. The voice had reminded him that he could gain nothing if he killed her right now, nor if he continued to terrorize her. True enough. Later he might not care, but for the moment he would back off. "And stop acting so pathetic. It doesn't suit you."

The seeker could not believe her good fortune. Oh, but she would have to be so careful. And what about the voice? Why had it been silent for so long? There had been many instances when she could have used its advice.

_**I cannot be everywhere at once, and you are usually sensible enough on your own.**_

What do you mean by 'everywhere at once'?

But there was only silence. There wasn't time to think about it anyway. Galvatron was starting to pace back and forth and she needed to pay attention. Hopefully he would get sick of having her around and tell her to go away. The voice could have told her of the futility of that hope, but why further distract her? Not only that, but it had other things to do.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"You are taking far too long in your efforts." Megatron said in a cautioning tone.

"But the information has to be collected and analyzed," Soundwave replied. He was becoming used to these visits. All his attempts to stop them came to naught. Varying the time and duration of his recharges did nothing. It was an interesting phenomenon though. As time went on, his former leader began to look better, stronger.

"Well then you'd better stop screwing around and work faster. You are not alone in this, but time may be limited."

The mech took 'not alone' to be a reference to his cassettes. Thus far, only Ravage had any clue of what was going on, and he had instructions to keep the matter to himself. Soundwave had initially feared that he was experiencing some type of processor degeneration but other than these disturbances, he was perfectly normal. What bothered him more was that the suggestions from the disturbances were starting to prove correct. Most confusing.

"I am trying but the conspirators are extremely careful."

"Try harder. For your sake, do not disappoint me."

The threat was clear and although this was only another in a series of weirdly accurate dreams, Soundwave still felt a nasty jab of fear in his spark. He had looked away and before he could reply, he was alone. In some ways these "visits" were sort of comforting. Everything was in a state of confusion and uncertainty but Megatron remained largely the same. There were some oddities, though. Mainly it was the way he spoke. The former Decepticon ruler had taken to interjecting human terminology into his speech, such as the admonishment not to "screw around." There were other things too like how the longer time went on the stronger he looked. As the aberration was replaced by a view of his own quarters he was startled to find Rumble and Frenzy standing over him and Laserbeak watching closely from a beam up above. All of them looked annoyed.

"What are you doing?" Soundwave asked.

"We might ask you the same thing," Rumble groused.

"I was merely recharging."

"We can see that. The question is why? What's with you lately?" Frenzy said.

"Yeah. Ya keep doin' it at crazy times and you're talkin' to yourself when you're out." Rumble added.

"What?" The mech was glad he wore a mask and visor to hide his surprised expression.

"It's hard to make out, but it this time it was somethin' about 'careful conspirators.' Other times you flinch around and act like you're about to take a beatin'.

The small duo was worried but it tended to come out disguised as aggravation. Soundwave could feel their concern, but he didn't want to have them thinking that something in his cranial chamber was shorting out. "I cannot tell you right now."

"Oh come on! That's what Ravage said!" Frenzy complained, as he threw his hands in the air in exasperation.

"Yeah! Don't ya trust us anymore?" Rumble said, crossing his arms and looking offended.

Making it clear that he wasn't happy either, Laserbeak let out a shrill squawk.

"I trust you, but the time isn't right. When it is I will advise."

"Pfft." Frenzy made a noise of disgust that was undoubtedly something he learned from hanging around the seeker in her organic days. And then something clicked inside Soundwave's processor. Megatron, the one in his mind anyway, was using flesh creature terms. The real mech would never have done that. These visions started not that long after Stormvolt's arrival on Chaar. Perhaps the two were related. Perhaps not, but it was worth checking into. As an added bonus it could cheer up the smaller mechs and keep them from asking so many questions.

"In the meantime, why don't you visit the femme?"

"You told us we had to stay away," Rumble said.

"A brief visit would not be inappropriate now."

"Okay, but don't think we're gonna forget," Frenzy cautioned as he looked back over his shoulder. The two of them were already heading for the door. They were bored with hanging around doing nothing and were not about to miss an opportunity for something more interesting. Soundwave knew the subject would come up again, but not before the small pair were distracted for a couple of days. Laserbeak was still staring down at him. He was indifferent toward the femme and a social visit held no charms for him.

"Laserbeak, patrol," he said, and pointed toward the door. The raptor stared at him a few seconds more, his own form of reminder that he wouldn't forget either, and then launched toward the exit.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Ugh. How long could this guy rant? Stormvolt had been in Galvatron's presence for hours and hours. The mech had done nothing but bitch about his soldiers (thus far he was about three quarters of the way through the roster) and what he would do to the Autobots. As long as she paid attention and nodded at appropriate times, Galvatron appeared content to continue pacing and finding fault with everyone and everything other than himself. The seeker was getting annoyed by it. Beyond a few similarities, he was nothing like Megatron, who would have been pissed off for a day or two and then would be deep into implementing another plan. It appeared unlikely that he was really the former warlord she had known, despite popular opinion. And there certainly was no sign of the brilliance Cyclonus mentioned earlier. Briefly her attention strayed as she wondered what he and the others were doing. In the old days, the Constructicons would have built everything already and be moving on to the next phase of the plan. Now, however, was something different. She doubted that they had even come close to halfway finished fabricating the items they were ordered to. There was nothing to be done from here. It was time to pay attention before she nodded in the wrong place.

"And if all this wasn't enough, now I have that insufferable traitor Starscream causing problems," Galvatron said.

"What?"

"Do you have an audio receptor problem?"

"No, but I don't understand how Starscream is bothering anyone. Didn't you kill him?"

"Oh yes!" His optics blazed vermilion at the recollection.

That was very much like his alleged old self, Stormvolt thought, having seen the same reaction from Megatron when he would recount an old battle or some other violent success.

"The worm dared to attempt to usurp leadership, but he paid dearly in the end. Do you have any idea what degree of power it takes to blast someone to ash?" The mech asked proudly.

"No Mighty One, I do not."

"Well _he_ does. Remain loyal to me and you may remain ignorant of the knowledge."

"But if you destroyed him, how is he causing trouble?"

"Not him, his _ghost_ you fool!"

"His ghost?" If there were any previous doubts about his insanity, they were gone now. And who was this crackpot calling 'fool'?

"Yes. It's loose on Chaar even as we speak. He took possession of Cyclonus somehow and caused all manor of havoc, you know."

"I was unaware."

"I was going to destroy him again, but he abandoned Cyclonus in the nick of time, that lucky glitch."

"That's why you shot him?"

"Of course." She had been mistaken earlier. Batshit was nowhere near accurate enough to describe this level of madness. And poor Cyclonus. Probably minding his own business and then gets blasted because this box of busted processors thought he was possessed by a ghost. How did he stay so loyal? It did make more sense when it came to why no one made a move without telling him first. The second in command was, for all intents and purposes, running things now.

"How could you tell it was Starscream?"

"Do you take me for some kind of moron? I saw him and spoke to him."

"You talked to a ghost?"

"You behave as though you don't believe me," Galvatron said. He was gradually approaching and getting more worked up as he went.

_**You'd better settle him down right now.**_

"No, it's not that I doubt you, it's just that I'm amazed."

"What?" He stopped his charge.

"I've never seen anything of the sort myself, that's all. It's hard to imagine." Not to mention the fact that it brought up questions of the theological variety.

_**Keep going.**_

"But if I may, let me ask you this: If the ghost hadn't fled and remained where he was, would you have destroyed Cyclonus to get him?"

This idea gave Galvatron pause. The style of conundrum was familiar somehow.

_**You see? No one else would have asked something like that, **_the voice pointed out to him.

So what? He thought crossly. All these questions and comments, and now the femme was looking at him strangely.

"Suppose I had?"

"You know better than I of course, but is this ghost more of a hazard than Cyclonus is an asset?"

"Asset? You think he's an asset? Spare me. He is nothing but a sycophant."

"He is not," she said without thinking and then immediately regretted it.

_**What the hell is wrong with you?!**_

What indeed? Cyclonus certainly did not need her to defend his character. So much for being careful.

"Oh? And why is that, pray tell?"

_**Be careful Stormvolt.**_

Damn. What possessed her to argue? "Uh…well, he doesn't act for personal gain. His loyalty is above reproach. And you don't dare say anything that could possibly be misconstrued as dissenting in front of him."

"Is that so?"

The femme nodded affirmatively.

"And how do you know this? You haven't been among the dissenters have you?" Galvatron asked, showing signs of becoming angry again and resuming his path toward her.

"No. I am faithful to our cause and its leader."

_**You are **_**SUCH**_** a big liar, **_the voice teased.

Help or shut up, please.

"WHAT DID I TELL YOU ABOUT TRYING TO DECEIVE ME?! The mech roared as he swung the cannon arm upward and pointed it at her. He was too close to miss.

xxxxxxxxxxxxx

"What do ya think is wrong with Soundwave?" Frenzy asked.

"I don't know, but I don't like it. I hope he's not turnin' stupid like some of the others," Rumble replied.

"No way. Not him. It's gotta be something else."

The mechs had gone to the rooftop looking for their friend, and were disappointed to find her out. The decision to wait a while was made and as they did so, the topic weighing on both of them was pondered.

"I wish I knew what it was."

"Me too."

The silence drew out as the pair became lost in their own thoughts and worries. They sat side by side on a ledge looking out at the ruined landscape.

"Hey Frenzy."

"Hmm?"

"Did ya ever think that we'd get to the point where bein' stuck on Earth was the good old days?"

"Heh! No, I didn't, but it _was_ kinda fun wasn't it?"

"Yeah, and that undersea base looks like a palace compared to this dump."

They continued to reminisce about the recent past, not noticing the shadow that glided closer until it loomed over them in the weak light.


	16. Good Days and Bad Days

Author's Note: Here's 15. Thanks for reading and commenting. As always Transformers belongs to Hasbro and Takara, not me.

A Blessing and A Curse  
By: Quetzal1

Chapter 15  
Good Days and Bad Days

xxx

"What are you two doing here?" A voice asked, startling Rumble and Frenzy, the latter nearly slipping off the ledge.

"What's it to ya?" Rumble said as he turned to discover Scourge standing over them.

"If you're waiting for the seeker, she will not be returning for a while. Galvatron is meeting with her," the hunter informed them while glancing around. "Where is Soundwave?"

"I don't know. It ain't our day ta watch him." Frenzy answered.

Scourge did not appreciate the hostility or smart ass remarks. He and one of the Sweeps had been told to go round up certain members of their faction and Soundwave was among them. In flying toward the telepath's quarters, he had spotted these two sitting there. This would make his job easier. They would know where the communications expert was, in addition to the fact that they were also on the list.

"Well find him and tell him he is to come to these coordinates, as are the two of you."

Both of the smaller mechs received the location information beamed to them simultaneously.

"What's out there?" Rumble asked, curiosity overtaking his attitude.

"You'll see soon enough. And don't make me have to come hunting for you."

Frenzy made a disgusted face, but said nothing until Scourge flew off again and continued his errand. "Great, we finally get ta do somethin' fun and now this.

"Eh. I wouldn't call waitin' around fun, exactly." Rumble replied.

"Maybe not, but I betcha it's better than whatever Scourge has planned."

"Yeah, and it's gotta be WAY better than what Stormvolt's doin."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The mech was irrationally angry, but that was normal for him.

"You misunderstand, Lord Galvatron," Stormvolt said, taking a step back and holding her hands out in a gesture that she hoped communicated harmlessness.

"Then why don't you enlighten me before I destroy you?" The mech replied, still not lowering the cannon or pointing it somewhere else.

"I said if one said something that could be _misconstrued_ as dissenting. If a comment or question were phrased incorrectly or like that, then it might be something that Cyclonus would take exception to."

_**You're still fairly talented at digging your way out of self-created holes aren't you?**_

I have to be since you're no help.

Galvatron stood there as though considering the explanation for a few seconds. The femme was starting to think that she was going to be successful, and she was, but only in part. Since her metamorphosis, Stormvolt had never been shot. She was hit with a glancing blow of laserfire and once took a blast of null ray when she was human. Both incidents were mosquito bites compared to the detonation from the fusion cannon. A light purple flash issued forth and the kaboom that followed was teeth rattling. She feared that her theological questions were about to be answered but instead of spreading her components around the room, the blast skimmed the surface of her outer thigh. The seeker instantly collapsed in pain, clutching at the wound. The metal was blackened and even glowed orange for a few seconds in one spot like the element on a stove but the armor had not been breached. Overtemp warnings flashed at the edge of her vision. Hopefully nothing critical on the inside melted. As she sat there, rocking back and forth slightly, determined not to cry out and give this sick fucker any more pleasure, Galvatron came near and stood over her smirking.

"You know, I never miss," he said, obviously taunting her.

Good for you, asshole. She thought, but remained silent.

"Let this be a gentle reminder: Watch what you say in the future."

Go to hell.

The mech stood there a bit longer, trying to recall why this too stirred long dormant memory circuits. He halfway expected an ill-considered retort.

_**Nice move. Now how do you expect to get any honest opinions?**_ His old voice rasped in an annoyed tone.

"Oh shut up. That's what armor is for."

The femme thought the quiet remark was directed at her. She wasn't making a sound as she sat and continued to wait for the initial shock and pain to pass. No wonder the dream thought this clown needed protecting. Was he like this to everybody all the time? How had there not been some attempt to overthrow him before now? She gritted together the two ridges that they all had instead of teeth and attempted to stand. Her movements were too slow for the despot as Galvatron roughly grabbed her by one arm and yanked her to her feet before dragging her to the short staircase that led to his throne. He shoved her back down and continued pacing while resuming his seemingly endless rant.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Soundwave was not happy to be ordered out to the middle of nowhere, but his curiosity was piqued. Why all the secrecy? Frenzy and Rumble had informed him of Scourge's summons but they had no information beyond where to go. They had no clues as to why his recharge cycles were plagued by hallucinations, either. They would have to try again later. The group had seen Constructicons doing something on the way in but it held no answer. The telepath could have tried to read their minds but didn't care to be exposed to their confused way of thinking. Thrust had gotten there first and was waiting. The four of them were surprised to see Shockwave arrive. The 'bot landed and stood apart from the others, saying nothing. He had always been rather snobbish but this was different. Ever since the death/reformatting of Megatron, and their banishment to Chaar, he was almost devoid of personality and a total recluse. Nearby a lone Sweep lingered, rounding out the group.

After a few more minutes, they were joined by Cyclonus. He glanced over the small crowd and then zeroed in on the Sweep.

"Where is the Stunticon?"

"You see, it was like this…." The hapless Sweep began before Cyclonus waved him off.

"We will discuss it momentarily," he said, and then turned to the other mechs, motioning them closer.

"Doubtless you are wondering why you are here. A wonderful discovery has been made." He extended a hand that held some of the Ranazite ore.

"What is it?" Thrust asked, realizing this must be what they were discussing in the repair bay when he'd shown up.

"Ranazite." Shockwave answered tonelessly and without interest.

"What does it do?"

"In sufficient amounts and in the proper strength, it can be converted to energon." Cyclonus replied. "We have a large deposit but further exploration and testing is required before we begin full scale mining."

"What's that got ta do with us?" Frenzy asked with genuine curiosity instead of his usual quarrelsomeness.

"Each of you will have a specific task. Soundwave, you will join the Constructicons and conduct sonar testing to see how far and deep this deposit goes," Cyclonus said, before gesturing at Frenzy and Rumble. "And these two will help extract the ore and reconnoiter any spaces that are too small for the rest of us." The mech was purposely using words like "we" and "us" to foster a sense of teamwork though he had no intention of doing anything more than supervising.

He turned to the remaining Decepticons. "Shockwave, you will go to the repair facility and perform the necessary tests and experiments on the samples brought to you."

They stood there staring at him before he said: "I meant now, not when you get around to it." So far, so good, he thought as he watched them go. The guard posts were finished and a suitable disguise was obscuring the trench. After some preliminary testing, they should be able to begin full scale mining. He would not even entertain the notion that the element could be too inferior in quality to bother with. Dwelling on the unproven negatives did not foster success.

Only Thrust and the unhappy looking Sweep remained. Originally it would have been the seeker's assignment to patrol the perimeter, but there was another possible job for him first. He patiently waited. The damage to his wing had healed sufficiently to allow flight and he was curious.

The nervous Sweep approached. "About that Stunticon…" he began, then stopped.

"Yes?" Cyclonus said, turning to face him and crossing his arms in a gesture that said whatever excuse he was about to hear had better be a good one.

Really, the second in command would have preferred to leave the Stunticons out until they were ready to start mining in earnest but circumstances did not allow for it. Ranazite was a dense and weighty element and would be too heavy for Laserbeak to haul to the repair bay in any useful amount. Furthermore, he didn't want Soundwave to be too involved in too many aspects. Likewise for the Combaticons. They were basically reconstituted criminals and the more in the dark they stayed, the better. Astrotrain wasn't the brightest of the lot in the glory days and he hadn't gotten any better. No way could he be counted on. If only Galvatron hadn't demanded to see Stormvolt. She could have been interchangeable with Thrust either patrolling or ferrying the Ranazite (but his peculiar new feelings would not have allowed them together on the same job). Not for the first time he wondered how she was getting along with their leader. He presumed she was surviving as no one had been summoned to render medical aid or dispose of remains.

The Sweep continued his explanation. "I found them, but when I asked about Deadend, Motormaster and the others started getting sort of pushy and defiant."

"So what you're telling me is that you allowed them to run you off?"

The Sweep said nothing but was clearly embarrassed.

"How could you permit that? You are acting in the name of Galvatron. By showing you this disrespect, it is the same as showing it to him and we will NOT stand for it." Cyclonus lectured, optics starting to flare brightly.

Sweep wished he'd been assigned to fetch someone easy. The most surefire way to get Cyclonus angry was to show disrespect toward their leader. "I don't know. I guess I wasn't thinking," he said.

"Typical. But you may yet have a chance to salvage what remains of your dignity," he said, glancing beyond the Sweep to where Thrust was waiting and trying not to act like he was listening. "Thrust! Come here, your assistance is required."

Even if the flier hadn't heard part of the conversation, it was obvious that the Sweep was in trouble for something, no doubt relating to Stunticons. He felt an odd pleasure in being included for once. Evidently Cyclonus had gotten over whatever he was annoyed about back in the repair bay, much to the seeker's relief. It must just have been his own paranoia like he'd initially suspected.

"What do you want me to do?" Thrust asked agreeably.

"We three are going to pay a visit to some Decepticons who need to be reminded of their place," Cyclonus replied with a nasty smile.

xxxxxxx

"You should have seen it," Dragstrip said.

"What?" Deadend asked. He had been wandering around and upon returning to the area he and the other Stunticons called home, found his teammates talking animatedly and congratulating themselves.

"It was great! There was this Sweep who came looking for you but we sent him out of here like his aft end was on fire." Wildrider bragged, taking some dramatic license.

"I don't know if that was such a good idea," Deadend said in his typical gloomy fashion.

"Oh, here we go," Breakdown complained.

"Now he'll tell somebody else and I'll be in more trouble."

"You give them too much credit." Motormaster said. "Why should any of us have to anything just because they say so?" The Stunticon leader had not spoken to any of them about the fledgling plot to eliminate Galvatron and seize control. First it would be necessary to get them thinking it was possible to stand up to the tyrant and his lackeys at all. Of course some of his team members would be easier to sway than others. Deadend would definitely be more difficult than, say, Dragstrip who, when he had assisted Vortex and Brawl in attacking Thrust, thought it was something they were doing for fun rather than being part of something bigger.

"Because we're scrapped if we don't?" Deadend answered, and then considered for a few seconds. "Of course we're all scrapped in the end, but no point in bringing it on sooner."

"You think that the five of us couldn't stand up to someone like Scourge or Cyclonus?"

"I don't know. I guess we could, but what about Galvatron?"

"He is nothing without them!" Motormaster said a little too vehemently. The others all shifted around, uneasy at his open insult. Anyone could be listening and things had a way of getting back to their leader. "All I'm saying is consider the possibility. Consider too what could happen if we were to find our own source of better energon. Once we could maintain our combining to Menasor, no one could subjugate us."

"I'm with you. In fact, we can start right now," Wildrider said with enthusiasm and pointed. The Sweep was back.

"Didn't you learn anything the last time?" Motormaster challenged.

The Sweep ignored him and focused on Deadend. "You. Come with me," he said pointing at the mech. Cyclonus had specifically requested this particular Stunticon because his morbid, depressed manner was easiest to deal with and he would be the least trouble of the five.

Deadend started to comply but Wildrider caught his arm. "Slag that guy. What's he going to do about it if we say 'no'?"

"Yes, what are you going to do about it?" Motormaster asked.

The Sweep wasn't appearing intimidated in the least. The Stunticon leader could keep right on getting himself in deeper and deeper. "This is your last chance to do it the easy way," he cautioned.

Having gotten worked up by his own rhetoric and Wildrider's defiance, Motormaster ignored the warning and continued. "I know what you're going to do, you're going to go back and tell whoever sent you, probably that glitch Cyclonus, that he's crazy if he thinks he can order us around."

"Why don't you tell him yourself?" The Sweep asked, leaping upward and transforming before the approaching roar drowned out his words.

Motormaster and the others quickly turned and looked behind them. At first they saw nothing but then made out the shapes of approaching aircraft a few feet above ground level. There wasn't time to say anything as both of the incoming Decepticons unleashed a barrage of laserfire on the group.

Cyclonus had told the Sweep what to do and what would likely happen and the results weren't much different from what he had described. The Sweep had left his communication channel open and so Cyclonus had heard everything, including being called a glitch. A reminder as to who was in charge was long over due.

As he, Thrust and the Sweep open fired, the group immediately scattered. Two of them instantly threw their hands in the air in surrender, three others transformed and ran. Wildrider did not get far before the Sweep nailed him with a laser that, as per instructions, was set to only stun. Thrust broke away to chase Dragstrip. That particular Stunticon knew that the country was too open and rough and he would never be able to outrun the seeker there, but he tried his hardest at first, certain that the other mech knew who had beaten him earlier. After the pointlessness of fleeing became too obvious to deny, he activated his communicator and tried a different tack.

"Hey Thrust, you're not mad about earlier are you?"

"What are you talking about?"

"You know when we had our, um… chat?" The Stunticon veered to the left barely dodging the latest shot aimed at him.

Thrust was baffled at first and then realized what he must be going on about. So Dragstrip was one of his attackers! That meant he knew who the others were, but how to get that out of him? He reduced the power of his weaponry further and scored a direct hit on his quarry. It would hurt but it wouldn't incapacitate. He quickly zapped him twice more.

"I don't know what you mean," Thrust lied, and then fired again. He may have forgotten a lot of things like names for certain aerial maneuvers, but he still knew how to be devious. And Stunticons were all crazy and not so bright anyway.

"Ow! Stop that! I meant when we were messing with you. We were only having a little fun."

"You were one of those who attacked me?"

Maybe this wasn't such a great idea. The seeker sounded like he was ready to do a lot more than stun. When all else failed, shift the blame. "I didn't know Vortex and Brawl would get all carried away." There was no response, at least not the verbal kind.

"AAAAAAGHHHHH!" Dragstrip cried out when the laserfire struck him again. Thrust had increased it to the farthest limits of stun that he could muster. Once however, didn't seem like enough. He blasted the Stunticon as many times as he could without knocking him offline as he herded him back toward where the others waited.

xxxxx

Not so far away, Motormaster wasn't faring much better. He was zig-zagging back and forth to dodge the large craters that Cyclonus was blasting into the ground with weapons that were definitely not on stun. He knew he was being toyed with but there was nothing to be done about it.

After several minutes of showing the errant Stunticon that he could be destroyed whenever he felt like it, Cyclonus decided it was time to end the chase. He watched as Motormaster locked his brakes and jackknifed before falling into the hole that exploded into existence right in front of him. The flier transformed and landed near the other mech.

"That wasn't a very honorable thing to do," Motormaster said, waving at the dust still hanging in the air as he tried to sit up. Changing back to robot mode was difficult and now he felt like all his joints were full of dirt and grit.

"What would a wretch like you know about honor?" Cyclonus growled. He did not care for being mocked.

"If mindlessly serving a bunch of loose screws like Galvatron is what passes for it, no thanks," he said, sneering and knowing what could happen but he had to try it to test his theory. The other mech came closer, clearly bristling with anger. He badly wanted to blast that arrogant smile off Motormaster's faceplate permanently, but they couldn't afford to decrease their numbers any further right now. Oh, but someday that wouldn't be true.

"You would do well to mind your manners."

"The truth hurts doesn…." Motormaster didn't get to finish the sentence before he was grabbed and then slammed into the ground again. Cyclonus could have easily shot him but had chosen to react physically because he was incensed. It didn't take much provoking either. So he was correct: in the future it might be possible to draw the second in command into a fatal mistake when the circumstances were right.

"When the presence of one of your group is requested in the future, you had better comply because there will be no more warnings. Now get up and stop wasting my time," Cyclonus said, regaining his composure.

The Stunticon grinned at him insolently as he stood. They took to the air, and on the short trip back to where the others waited each of them shared similar thoughts as one fantasized about the demise of the other.

xxxxx

Several days had passed since Stormvolt was initially ordered to headquarters but it felt like longer. She was tired and beat up. Galvatron hadn't shot her again but he did hit her a few more times. One strike was blocked and the others were so unexpected she didn't have a chance to even try. Nor was there an opportunity for a good recharge. The seeker had been exposing the solar panels on her wings to get whatever energy she could from the weak lights mounted on the walls. It was tricky though. She had to use the sides that faced away as there was no point in making Galvatron curious. It would have been nice to find whatever was powering the few lights but she had no idea where or what it was. The panels worked, but the problem was that she was expending more power than she was taking in and it was starting to show. There hadn't even been an opportunity to get any more energon. Galvatron had blathered on an on right through the hour that was allotted for receiving rations. The rules were exceedingly strict. If you weren't there, you got nothing, no exceptions. Fortunately, she had still possessed a compressed cube she'd brought along from Earth and was saving for a dire emergency, but that was gone now too.

Shit, when would this end? This guy had to recharge at some point or another didn't he? The despot was sitting on the worn out throne and saying nothing. Hey at least he wasn't droning on and on like usual. If she hadn't been so wiped out, the femme would have realized that he was becoming slightly calmer, nowhere near normal, but not constantly flying off the handle for no reason either. Slag it. She just wanted some quiet and some rest in the relative comfort of her own quarters. This being cooped up inside sucked. Occasionally Galvatron would wander off to do whatever it was he did, but he was never gone long and the seeker was never allowed to leave. She would use the time by sitting in the corner and going off line briefly to maximize what little recharge she could get. It wasn't the greatest thing since she set an internal alarm to wake her before he usually came back, but she knew to take what she could get. She stared at the mech as he sat there. What was going on in that rusted excuse for a mind? Anger and resentment gave her the urge to kick him in the head. Sitting, he was the perfect height, and it would be so easy. A suicidal thought perhaps, but fun to consider.

_**Patience. He will be forced to go offline soon and his paranoia will not allow you to hang around where you can get up to no good.**_

How do you know? The voice hadn't said all that much to her during the days spent with Galvatron and evidently it was going to maintain the trend because it did not reply.

"Be gone. I have had enough of you for now."

"As you command mighty Galvatron." YES!

"But don't go too far. I am not finished with you yet."

Damn. The femme bowed slightly and headed to the doorway. Once out of his sight she relaxed her posture into a slouch that was easier to maintain. If today were ration day she would have been just in time, but of course it wasn't. No, that would be too easy. After she got as much of a charge as possible, hopefully she could round up some energon before she was called back. The mere idea of more of what she'd escaped only seconds ago was so demoralizing. Yes, why hadn't someone offed this guy by now?

_**Who's to say that someone won't try?**_

So what if they did?

_**You said you'd protect him.**_

How did you know about that? And besides, it was just a dream or something.

_**Was it?**_

What are you insinuating? She had gone outside and was about to activate the antigravity when the voice spoke and then went silent again. Why did it do that? Fuck it. Possibly insanity was contagious and she was on her way to being as messed up as Galvatron.

The flight to her rooftop was quick. No one else appeared to be around. They were probably at the mine or something. Perhaps she would go out there later after more important matters were tended to, but definitely not now. Rather that lean into her usual corner, she stretched out on the floor to allow the light collectors to get the most from exposure to the stars. It was good to be outside again.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Things looked promising thus far. The Ranazite deposit was turning out to be even larger than first suspected and many of the samples randomly extracted were exceptionally bright and dense. Shockwave was still testing and experimenting, the substandard facilities slowing his progress. Ah, but when the element was converted to energon, they could use it to trade for things to strengthen their position. And when that position was strong enough they could take what they wanted. It would be a while yet, but it was a start on the way back to where they belonged. Cyclonus was pleased. On top of all this, he had even found a suitable place to use the other Stunticons. Deadend was in the position intended for him originally. The remaining four had been separated and each placed in one of the sentry bunkers surrounding the area. It was far enough away to keep them from knowing much about what was transpiring and it also kept them from plotting any more trouble. For now, anyway. Eventually there would have to be a more permanent solution. Despite all the things that were going right, something still nagged at the back of his processors. He would only grudgingly admit it to himself, but he was concerned for the femme.

xxxxx

He had not spoken to her since the brief lesson on how to protect one's self from their leader. However, he had observed the two of them together. She appeared to be smart enough to stay quiet unless asked something directly. The peculiar thing was Galvatron's behavior. Cyclonus was there yesterday to gather energon for those at the mine who couldn't leave. If he was alone on these visits, he would silently creep over to the entryway to check on how the seeker was faring. He was amazed to see their leader actually sitting and speaking in a normal (albeit angry) tone of voice. She must be doing some good, but how was something he couldn't imagine. While Galvatron actually seemed to be improving, Stormvolt was more and more wrecked. Every time he saw her she looked worse. Once he had discovered the tyrant gone and the flier slumped in a corner off line and recharging. He had initially thought she might be deactivated, but then a scan said otherwise. She had scrapes and slight dents and worst of all, a nasty burn on one leg. The femme had not shown up during the usual dispensing of the energon rations and he wondered how she was managing without it. It occurred to him to leave a cube with her but what if Galvatron were to come back before it was gone? It would lead to questions and more trouble. But to do nothing made him feel frustrated. Such a waste of a good warrior. Potential warrior, he corrected himself, trying to calm down. And who was he to question what went on here? It was not his place, but still it bothered him. He was puzzled as to why he would even care. If it were Scourge he wouldn't have given any of it a second thought.

And speaking of progress and potential, it was time to go see if Shockwave had learned anything new. He couldn't stop thinking about what was going on, though. Was there some sort of new hope for their leader? Cyclonus did not dare to even dream of full recovery but nearly anything would be an improvement. One thing was certain and that was he couldn't ask Galvatron about it. It was under that pretense to himself that he altered his flight path from an efficient straight line to include a detour over Stormvolt's quarters. He wasn't really expecting her to be there and was pleasantly surprised to discover her inert form stretched out recharging yet again. The mech adjusted his antigravity and dropped out of the perpetually starry sky and onto the rooftop. Shockwave could wait.


	17. Stranger Things Have Happened

Author's Note: More at the end so nothing's given away. Thanks for reading and commenting. I appreciate it. Transformers belongs to Hasbro and Takara.

A Blessing and A Curse  
By: Quetzal1

Chapter 16  
Stranger Things Have Happened

xxxxx

Stormvolt had begun slipping offline and into what would hopefully be a long recharge when she heard more than felt a gentle tapping on her shoulder armor.

Cyclonus wasn't expecting the reaction he got as he tried to activate the femme without doing something that could aggravate any injuries she might have.

"What the fuck?" She said angrily, struggling to get to a sitting position. "Can I not have ten minutes without something…" The tirade trailed off as her optics flickered and came on and saw the source of her annoyance. "Oh. Cyclonus. Sorry about that. It's been a hell of a few days." Why was he here crouching over her while she was out? It was creepy. "What brings you here?"

"I was curious as to the status of your functioning." The femme appeared to be in even worse condition than before. If this deterioration were allowed to continue, she certainly would not be able to function in any useful manner for much longer. "You don't look good."

"Yeah? I bet if you'd been stuck in there with _him_ for days on end, you wouldn't look so hot either."

"It hasn't gone well?" Cyclonus asked, choosing not to admonish her for the disdainful tone of voice she used in speaking of their leader.

"I don't know. I guess it depends on your idea of 'well'. I've been threatened, hit several times and check this out," she said, pulling up one leg to display the burn mark. "He shot me. It only grazed the side, though. He must've been feeling generous or something because it would have taken my leg completely off if it had been a direct hit and he was way too close to miss."

Cyclonus nodded in agreement before asking: "And what drove him to do that?"

"What _drove_ him? Are you suggesting I deserve this somehow?" Her optics began to burn a brighter, paler green. "You ought to know better than anyone that it doesn't take much to set him off."

"I was speaking from his point of view." Having a low charge did not give her the most charming personality.

"Whatever. I don't think you realize just how far out there he is." She recounted the discussion of Starscream's ghost and how her defense of Cyclonus' motivations and loyalty wound up getting her blasted.

"Do you have any damage that requires repair?" The mech didn't know what to make of any of it. Not ghosts or her defending him before the Decepticon dictator, an act that was foolish to the point of being almost suicidal.

"No, I don't think so. I'm really, really tired, though. Galvatron is sucking the life out of me. If I have to go back anytime soon, I don't know how I can keep functioning," she said, flopping down onto her back again.

"But I think you are doing some good."

"What?"

"I was there briefly a day ago and saw the two of you. I think Galvatron was calmer."

"I don't know. I was too busy concentrating on saying the right thing and trying to stay on-line to notice. You seriously think he was different?" She asked, propping herself up on one elbow.

"I am sure of it. What else did you do?"

"Nothing. I sat there and listened to him rant and rave about the same things over and over."

The mech nodded again. Yes, he had found himself in that very position on many, many occasions. "When do you have to go back?"

"I don't know," she replied morosely and then brightened a little as the idea of being back inside reminded her of something she'd thought about earlier. "But by any chance is there a high output generator here somewhere?"

"No, not a good one. The few that exist are all small and weak and in poor condition. Why?"

"Oh, nothing. I was thinking that I could seriously go for some lightning but when there's no weather, high voltage from an artificial source is virtually as good." The fact was she craved a good hit of electricity the way she used to crave mushroom pizza in the old days, though pizza didn't produce the same results of course.

It was strange that she would bring that up, Cyclonus thought. He was considering something just then but wasn't sure if he should go through with it or not. It would be nice to get away from Chaar for a while and there was a place he knew that would solve her energy problems. There were risks, but she would not be able to continue as she was. And more importantly, he justified to himself, whatever she was doing that was benefiting Galvatron would come to an end too. Why not try it? If it worked everyone profited. He chose to ignore the way anticipation of putting this plan into action made his circuits buzz. Frag it, he was doing this for the greater good of the cause and NOT because he liked the weird, confusing feelings that had begun to come over him where she was involved. He did have more important matters to attend to than her, after all.

"Do you have the capability for a short flight?" He asked, rising from the crouch to a standing position.

"Yes, as long as I don't have to move too fast."

"Excellent. Come with me, there's something I think you will find interesting," he said, extending a hand toward her. The femme eyed it suspiciously for a second or two as though he would snatch it away before finally grabbing on and being pulled to her feet.

"Let's go," the mech said, jumping from the rooftop and transforming before rocketing away.

Stormvolt quickly followed, wondering what was going to happen. That was one thing she could say for Cyclonus, seldom was it ever dull hanging around with him.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Deadend was bored. If he wasn't taking a bunch of rocks to Shockwave, he was hanging around in the hidden trench waiting on more samples to be removed. It wasn't particularly hard work and it certainly wasn't worth the pounding the others took. He himself had been sensible enough to surrender right away as had Dragstrip. The trench was much wider and deeper now and was starting to resemble a small canyon. No one had told him anything about what it was or why they were so interested in it. Not that he cared.

Nearby Soundwave was waiting for Rumble and Frenzy to return from the depths of a large fissure they had created. At least in part he was waiting. He was also observing Deadend. He knew that Motormaster and Vortex were in the early stages of planning a coup though he couldn't say how serious an effort it was. He was also aware that another Stunticon and a Combaticon were behind the attack on Thrust in an effort to learn about the femme. Why they were interested in her remained a question. Carefully allowing his telepathy to drift out and brush the other mech's mind didn't give him much new information. Deadend and the others had refused to come when sent for and it had led to disciplinary action. As far as any secret plots went, he knew nothing, but that could easily change and probably would. The Stunticons, particularly Motormaster and Wildrider, were unstable. They did not seem to be getting any less intelligent (which was lucky because in Soundwave's estimation they didn't have any to spare) however they were becoming more unbalanced and violent. Kind of like Galvatron, but with focus. Motormaster (and Wildrider, if he was involved,) wouldn't be able to keep secrets from their team for long.

"Hey Soundwave, ya better come see this," Rumble said. The smaller mech had popped his head out of the rip in the ground and was waiting on acknowledgment.

The mech stared down at him. He did not like putting any of his cassettes in unnecessary danger but he had an idea.

"Hang on. We'll make a bigger doorway." And then he disappeared underground again.

There was a sound like quiet, distant thunder before a familiar red pile driver broke through the ground like a hand from a grave in a zombie movie. A section of the trench floor adjacent to the fissure gave way, leaving a hole that Soundwave could easily get through.

Deadend was watching with an apathetic expression and said nothing as the ground opened. Soundwave dropped through and out of sight. Better you than me, the Stunticon thought.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

It was pretty small as far as planets went, and smaller than Earth for sure. Stormvolt was excited at the prospect of what could be down there. The clouds suggested that the weather was very unstable. She followed the trajectory Cyclonus set as they began their entry into its atmosphere.

xxxxx

The surface was desert-like, at least the area where they came down was. There were a lot plants that resembled cacti but without needles and grayish in color and scrubby bushes here and there. The rocks were reminiscent of New Mexico but not so colorful. The femme gazed outward at the sky. There were ominous clouds building on the horizon but the part that was still clear was a peculiar blue that looked more like purple. Come to think of it, she was looking purplish herself under the light of the distant red sun. It was still high as though it were noon but it was an intense crimson like sunsets on Earth.

"What is this place?" She asked.

"I am not aware of its name, but it won't matter much longer anyway," Cyclonus said.

"Why not?"

"This planet will not survive. Its sun is dying."

"That's why it's all red like that?" Not that it had stopped her from exposing all the light collecting panels. She was feeling better already, but the idea of a dying sun was sad somehow.

"Correct. It will almost certainly be burned out within the next hundred years."

Hundred years? The way he said it, you'd think it was going to happen next week. But then when you lived for millions it truly wasn't that long. "What will happen to the inhabitants?" It reminded her of Earth so much the possibility of it being uninhabited didn't occur to her.

"It's already happened. They either left or became extinct. From the primitive nature of the ruins I've seen, I would suspect it was extinction."

Stormvolt nodded. She peered around taking in the enormity of the event. The universe was huge and this kind of thing probably happened regularly, but it was hard not to imagine herself in the place of whoever used to live here. There was nothing to be done about it and the gathering darkness on the horizon was starting to draw her attention more and more. A breeze ahead of the impending storm kicked up and blew across the low butte where the two Decepticons stood.

"So what are we doing here?"

"Primarily, I want to test your abilities with electricity. But exposure to the elements would undoubtedly do you some good on other levels."

"No question." A low rumble of thunder reached their audio sensors.

"Let's go," Cyclonus said, and began walking toward the edge of the high surface.

"Wait. You should probably stay back."

"Why?"

"It's been a while since I've done this and I may not be able to control it at first. I don't want to zap you."

"Very well. I will observe from here for now."

The femme dove off the precipice, falling like the many tons of metal she was before transforming and zipping nearly straight up to a preferred high altitude and then leveling off.

She had almost forgotten what it was like to have atmosphere sliding over wings and fuselage. All the time spent in the vacuum of space made it feel that much more delicious. Even just that and the sunlight would have done wonders for her. Her exuberance was growing by the minute as she streaked toward the area where the lightning was waiting, and she could not help but execute some pointless maneuvers on the way.

From his vantage point far below, Cyclonus watched the seeker. It was obvious that she was enjoying herself, having gone back to flying as though there wasn't anything else to be concerned with. It was quite the display of grace and speed. He could imagine what that would look like coupled with the pure destructive force of electricity and the idea excited him, but not in the same way that devastating, properly utilized weaponry usually did. It was like when he had tried to discover her fighting style. He zoomed his optics to keep her in sight. It shouldn't be long.

Stormvolt had gotten close to the edge of the storm and slowed down. Lightning whipped out from the clouds and it was only moments before a strike caught her.

It was much like the first instance months ago. The jagged bolt struck her and the feeling of almost flying apart was instant. Transforming back to robot mode and engaging the antigravity was difficult while she tried to hang onto the charge. Finally it was too much and the hidden blasters that she hadn't seen since Earth popped out of their spots on the outside of both legs and on the tops of her shoulders. The electricity sprang forth from all of them as well as both arm-mounted cannons.

Cyclonus had never seen a plasma lamp. If he had, the sight before him would have been extremely reminiscent. The femme was like the center of the sphere and the lightning flashed out all around her but without a transparent globe to keep it in check. And despite the danger, he wanted to be closer but obeyed his good sense and stayed back.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"So far, this is the only one," Frenzy said, gesturing around. It would have been pitch black inside except for the fat, red lines running throughout the walls and floor of the cavern, softly lighting it. The chamber was like a bubble under the surface of the ground. The floor was flatter but the rest was rounded. It was absolutely loaded with huge veins of Ranazite.

"We busted some of it out for Deadend to take back ta Shockwave, but we need ta stop digging up there or that whole thing is gonna cave in," Rumble said pointing upward.

"I will advise the Constructicons." Soundwave said.

The smaller mechs prepared to fly up and out of the cavern but were stopped by a large hand on their respective shoulders.

"What?" Frenzy asked.

"I have another job for you," Soundwave said quietly, leaning down so that he was closer to them. "And you must keep it to yourselves."

The telepath's assignments were usually much better than anyone else's. Especially the secret ones. "Oh yeah? What is it?" Rumble asked eagerly.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Stormvolt sat upon the highest of the skinny mesas that rose from the surface of the dying planet, peering into the distance and enjoying the view and the gusty wind. It was a sheer drop that was close to a mile, but she sat there with her legs hanging over the edge like it was no more than a couple of feet. The capability of flight eliminated a lot of dangers. Cyclonus had joined her, sitting behind and to her left. He didn't need to ask why she would perch here to rest. It was a seeker thing. They liked heights. Though he was a flier, he lacked the tendency toward frivolity that those particular models seemed to share. He wasn't much on scenery, either, at least not that which wasn't something they had conquered by force.

They had spent a few hours seeing what she could do with the lightning both from a standstill and in flight. Practice was enabling her to get more and more control over her abilities. The rain had finally arrived lashing at them both but it didn't hurt and actually served to remove a lot of the crud she seemed to be perpetually coated in. Chaar didn't have any water as far as anyone knew. They continued until the weather began to dissipate. The femme chased it long enough to get one more good charge to hang onto and then it was time to take five.

The strange red sun was out again and a drop in temperature followed the rain. It would get a lot colder before the sun finally died. Stormvolt hadn't felt as good as she did then since before leaving Earth. This turned out to be a very good day, though not without peculiarities. Many times she had noticed Cyclonus staring at her oddly. When he knew she noticed, his expression would grow sterner, like she had done something to annoy him though his actions and tone of voice were the same as always.

The mech still hadn't figured out what was going on. He was beginning to worry that whatever had happened to the others was also starting for him. Earlier, as the femme had flown along not much above the ground and at top speed, engines shrieking, afterburners lit and various bits of plant life being incinerated before her by the lightning, he noticed his systems speed up in anticipation. But anticipation of _what_? It was disturbing. What he was feeling was very different than the in-general variety of pleasure he would have experienced if any new Decepticon were showing talent and ability. And it was totally unlike the way he felt on the extremely rare occasions when he earned Galvatron's praise.

From his position behind her, Cyclonus could observe without being seen. She almost looked like another femme entirely. The rain had removed a lot of the filth from her hull and wings. Her optics were illuminated a darker shade of green and her overall manner was totally improved. Amazing what repeated exposure to a giant static charge could do. And speaking of being clean, until this day, he hadn't noticed the pearl additive in her paint that gave it a glossy depth. The darkness on Chaar hid it. The sun was behind them now and the reflection from her left wing was bright. He examined its surface noting that the light made it sort of violet and much to his shock and mortification he realized that he was reaching out a hand to touch it. He yanked the hand back like her appendage would burn him. That would have been highly improper. Sure, he had placed the faction symbols on both sides of each wing, but that was different. That was the same thing as maintenance, which meant nothing. What he had nearly done here was run a fingertip along the different shades of blue where the sunlight was reflected near the down turned leading edge. He could not show that degree of familiarity without their interactions being of a far… closer nature first. It was then that he finally realized what his malfunction was. Oh, Primus help him, he was _attracted_ to her! How could he have been so dumb? This was unacceptable. Perhaps it was strictly a desire to interface, he thought trying to be calm. That would be normal, although he chose to ignore the fact that he'd not had that particular urge before.

"What are you doing back there?" Stormvolt asked, glancing over her shoulder.

"Nothing. You had something stuck in one of the seams in your sheet metal but it's gone now."

"Oh." Wings were sensitive and hers were especially so from being exposed to an atmosphere and air currents after a long absence. If there were something stuck in there and flapping in the wind it would have been driving her crazy. Why was he lying? The mech had been acting weird all day.

"We should return to Chaar," Cyclonus said, getting to his feet.

"Yes. Galvatron could call me back in anytime. Hey, do you think we could do this again?"

"Eventually."

"If you're busy, I could go on my own, I guess," she said, rising from the dusty ground. "I bet Thrust would like it here too. He would probably come with me."

"No." Cyclonus said abruptly. Too abruptly.

"Why not?" Geez, that suggestion appeared to kind of piss him off.

"Because, I cannot have everyone wandering about aimlessly. Besides, Thrust has other business that requires his attention now."

"I can do it myself then."

"I have not fully explored this planet. There could be dangers of which we are both unaware."

"True."

"And it would be advisable not to mention to anyone that you've been here."

"As you wish." She had long since given up on trying to understand his secretiveness in certain areas. It probably went back to Galvatron somehow. Fine. She would say nothing.

"If you require a visit here, let me know and I will arrange it." The idea of _Thrust _being in his place watching the same things that he had seen today was sickening. But that explained the strange hostility he had for the seeker on occasion. It was jealousy. If he wanted to interface strictly for the pleasure of it, what difference did it make where she went or who she went there with the rest of the time? This discovery did not ease Cyclonus' mind. He was a warrior first and foremost and his primary concerns were Galvatron and the Decepticon cause. He did not want to be plagued with and distracted by feelings of attraction and jealousy and all the rest of that idiotic nonsense, but he feared it might already be too late. This matter would require tremendous consideration before he acted in one way or another.

"We better get going," Stormvolt said, and then grinned at the mech. "I'll race you back," she challenged, suddenly transforming and blasting away before he had a chance to argue. He watched the sleek femme recede into the sky and knew it was _definitely_ too late.

"Slag," he muttered grimly, before launching in pursuit.

xxxxxxxxx

Author's Note Continued: I hope you liked it. Parts of this were hard to write. It's difficult to get something like attraction to work without going over the top and making the reader want to puke. Anyway, whatever else happens I swear I'll try to: 1. Keep any romantic stuff from being sickening, and 2. Not have way too much of it.


	18. Machinations

Author's Note: Transformers belongs to Hasbro and Takara, not me. Thanks for reading, and by all means feel free to comment.

A Blessing and A Curse  
By: Quetzal1

Chapter 17  
Machinations

xxxxx

"I don't know why we're going to all this trouble. We'll just run out of the stuff eventually and be right back where we were," said Deadend.

A couple of days had passed since the discovery of the cavern and things were on hold while the Constructicons went about the business of removing the floor of the trench and creating a system of ramps leading to the surface. Of course they could all fly in robot mode but not in their alt forms. It would be far more efficient for say, Longhaul to be able to take ore to the surface as a truck rather than a 'bot because of the amount he could carry.

"Yeah, it's all probably a big waste of time," Rumble agreed, leaning back so as to look behind Deadend and at his twin while making a disgusted face.

"Uh huh, you could be right," Frenzy added, trying not to laugh at Rumble. Soundwave had told them to befriend the Stunticon and find out what he knew about what any of that group might be doing. They didn't know why, but who cared? It was something to do. Why did it have to be Deadend, though? He was so fraggin' depressing. The two smaller mechs understood the concept of inevitability, but this guy took it to a whole new level. Everything was pointless and they were all deactivated someday anyway, so why bother with anything? No one would ever accuse him of being the life of the party.

"I guess it's better than bein' stuck out at some guard post," Rumble said.

"You never did tell us why the others got put out there and you got this gig," said Frenzy. He and Rumble were sitting on a shelf like protrusion in the wall in a part of the trench that was still on solid ground. Deadend stood between them leaning back with one elbow resting on the ledge.

"Eh, a Sweep came looking for me and the others told him to get lost. I would have cooperated if I'd been there, but you know how those guys are." Deadend explained, alternating glances back and forth at his small audience. It was pleasant to have someone to commiserate with for once.

"And then what?" Frenzy asked.

"So Motormaster is going on the way he does…"

"Goin' on how?" Rumble interrupted.

"You know, how we shouldn't have to do what anyone else says and…" he stopped and glanced around to make sure no one else was near before continuing in a much quieter voice. "And how Galvatron is nothing without Scourge and Cyclonus. _He_ thinks we could stand up to them but _I _say it's impossible."

"I'm with you," Frenzy said.

"Those guys give me the creeps." Rumble added. He wasn't lying either. He had his own private theories about where the latter two came from and he didn't care to dwell on it too much.

"I know what you mean. So, Motormaster's going on and on and then the Sweep comes back. The next thing you know, there's Cyclonus and Thrust attacking us."

"Wow, what did you do?" Frenzy asked.

"What anybody with a properly functioning processor would do. I surrendered on the spot."

That broke the smaller 'bots up. Deadend stared at them curiously. "What? I'm not the one stuck out in the middle of nowhere. I'd say it was a good idea."

"Can't argue there," Rumble said.

"So they've been out there for days now?" Frenzy asked.

Deadend shrugged. "I guess."

"Sucks ta be them."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

That Unicron must have been quite a machine, Stormvolt thought. She was once again seated on the steps that led to Galvatron's throne while he was stalking back and forth as was his habit. Still carrying most of a lightning charge enabled her to think far more clearly than she'd been able to do while in his presence before. Additionally, Cyclonus had taken to hiding her energon rations in a mostly empty room nearby, enabling her to get it when she was left alone. He was acting somewhat strangely, but then, who wasn't?

xxxxx

The ration hiding had been his idea, suggested when he caught up to her on the way back to Chaar (which hadn't taken long). Soon after they had returned from the little no-name planet, Galvatron summoned her. Cyclonus had business at the repair bay with Shockwave and had walked with her to the headquarters building. The femme had paused outside its doors, gathering her mental fortitude when she felt a hand on her back, between the shoulders. It was just like right before she had fought the Sharkticon. She braced for the hard shove she thought was surely coming but instead, Cyclonus had only patted her a couple times.

"Your sacrifice for the cause does not go unappreciated," he said.

Sacrifice? What sacrifice? She was going because she had to, not out of the spirit of volunteerism. Rather than point this out she just nodded at him and continued inside. At least he wasn't jealous that she was getting all this attention from their leader.

xxxxx

She focused intently on Galvatron as he paced and complained. Did he know that he repeated himself so much? Was his craziness more like senility coupled with frustration? It was said among humans that insanity was defined as doing the same thing over and over but expecting a different result. That seemed to be the case here. And then there was the most important thing of all… did he really used to be Megatron?

His overall build wasn't that similar. There was the bad color scheme and he was rather squat and more rounded. The femme had to crush the urge to grin when the thought 'Does this armor make my ass look fat?' popped into her head. She was pretty sure that Megatron had been taller, and definitely far more angular. The yellow cannon could be an upgrade, but again the color was whacked. Perhaps these things hadn't been his choice. She didn't understand enough about reformatting to know how it differed from being created from a protoform. From the neck up he wasn't so different other than the three-pointed thing on his helmet and that piece stuck to his chin. If you got rid of those, then the resemblance was stronger. She had no idea what his alt form was but guessed it wasn't a handgun, mass displacing or otherwise. He threatened others into doing what he wanted, that much was the same but it was a feature common to most Decepticons, likely herself included if she hung around long enough. His voice was different. If not for the guest inside her mind she would have missed the cigarettes and whiskey sound of her old leader. When Galvatron got angry to the point of violence there were hints of what he maybe used to sound like. One had to listen hard but it was there. Did any of it mean anything? She kind of hoped it wasn't true. It was easier to think of Megatron as dead than recycled (against his will, probably) and reduced to a raving lunatic. That idea only made her sad. She had seen his marker in the crypt but there wasn't any container for remains or any type of niche in the wall that suggested a place to put one. Would they go to the bother of constructing a monument like that without evidence that he was truly gone? Too bad she couldn't just ask him what she wanted to know. Or could she?

"What are you staring at?" The tyrant demanded. The femme was watching him very hard as though contemplating a subject of critical importance.

"I was just thinking Mighty One."

"About what?" He had stopped his manic pacing and was facing her. His snarky tone suggested that he didn't think her capable of the act.

"Please don't take offense to this, but there are rumors about your origins and I was just trying to see what could have possibly given anyone such a ridiculous idea."

"What rumors?" He asked suspiciously.

"Um, well, it's been said that you are, or used to be…Megatron." She had already raised her arms a bit incase he charged and had to be blocked. Instead the mech sneered at her.

"What difference does it make to you?"

"It doesn't. I once served Megatron, but you are our ruler now. I follow where you lead."

_**Ugh! Can you spread that garbage any thicker?**_

Yes, actually, if it keeps me from being beaten or shot again. The way the voice had of making itself known at certain moments was starting to give her the idea it was jealous.

"Just for the sake of argument, let's say I'm in no way related to that wreck. What about it?"

Oh crap. He was taking on that speculative, nearly friendly tone that he did sometimes right before a violent outburst.

"Forgive my curiosity, Lord Galvatron, but where were you? Why did you not seize power sooner? Under your leadership we could have destroyed our enemies long ago." Stormvolt said, adding the last part to stroke his ego and hopefully keep him in check.

"Hmmm. And perhaps with more soldiers, we would have had better results. So I might ask you the same thing."

Damn! What had she told Cyclonus? It had no doubt been repeated to this maniac and now he was trying to catch her in a lie.

"I was in stasis for a long while. I think everyone thought I was dead." She gave an abbreviated version of the battle and the end results.

"I see," the mech replied, strolling closer. So far no threatening gestures, but that could change unbelievably fast. "So you were loyal to Megatron and were with him on Earth, eh?"

"Yes." Where was he going with this?

"So then why haven't I ever seen or heard of you before?"

"I don't know." Starting this discussion was turning out to have been a bad idea of epic proportions. Why didn't the voice tell her to shut up before she could do something so dumb?

_**Because. Watch closely, now.**_

"The rumors are correct. I used to have a different identity. Now, though, there is only Galvatron. But… I do retain most of the memories from my old life and I certainly do NOT remember you."

Shit.

"However, you do remind me of someone I used to know," Galvatron said, with a sly glance in her direction as he began to aimlessly pace again. For whatever reason, and he didn't care what it was, he was able to think with less effort and could remember certain things with no pain whenever this peculiar femme was near. Now seemed like a good time to test the limits in addition to answering a few nagging questions that were lurking in his processor. She was still watching him with a wary attitude so the mech continued.

"In my previous existence, I had a pet. It was a human female named Erica. I do not recall the exact reason we brought her into our midst but I decided to keep her for my amusement." Did the seeker just scowl at him a tiny bit?

"She turned out to be more valuable than I would have imagined initially and I expended a great deal of effort in conforming her to our way of life." The tyrant considered. "Well, as much as a disgusting flesh creature could conform. I studied her mannerisms and speech patterns and reactions and you, my dear seeker, have far too many similarities to that human for me to ignore it any longer."

"I don't understand what you mean."

"The human did not survive our last battle on Earth before we seized control of Cybertron," Galvatron continued as though he didn't hear her.

"What happened?"

"I'm getting to that, stop interrupting!" He snapped. He was entering into a train of thought that usually brought him excruciating pain before he could get the answers he wanted. He continued speaking although it sounded like he was thinking out loud as he tried to reason his way through it.

"She was with a group of Decepticons that were attacked by Autobots and the humans' armed forces and was shot. Upon being returned to headquarters it was obvious that it was too late to do anything to save her. I had other matters to attend to but I kept checking back to see if she still functioned. An idea occurred to me…it was nothing that anyone had tried before but since she was obviously going to die anyway, why not attempt it? So then I went back to where she was and...I…I…"

Stormvolt was scared, eager and curious all at once. So he WAS responsible for whatever it was that changed her. But what was it? And once he figured it out, what would happen then? She didn't want to be anyone's pet and worse still: What if Galvatron not only retained his old memories but also Megatron's rumored preference for femmes?

Galvatron concentrated intensely as he tried to remember. The human was on a recharge platform and barely alive. He had stood over her and then opened a panel on one arm before reaching in to pinch one of the lines that contained the repair fluid and then…

"AAAAAAAAAAAUGGGGGGGGGHHHHHH!" Galvatron roared as he clutched at his head. The stabbing pain wasn't as bad as on other occasions but now it was accompanied by a feeling of being mentally subdued, like something was in his mind and forcing him down into an endless blackness until he wasn't even there anymore.

Stormvolt wasn't sure what to do, but nothing probably wasn't the best choice. She ran over to where the mech was on his knees and bent forward grasping his head like he was bowing before some kind of idol. Crouching beside him, she still didn't know what to do to help. What was wrong with him? It was then that two more things happened to further compound her confusion. Suddenly the power level indicators at the edges of her vision began to flash a warning of a rapid drain on the voltage scatter charge but before she could so much as think of checking into that, Galvatron stopped his agonized snarling and raised his head from the floor to glare at her. The sight terrified her while simultaneously making her practically sick with pity.

The mech was still holding on to his head. Arcs of energy and sparks flew from between his fingers while one optic burned almost too bright to look upon and the other dimmed and flickered on and off like a broken neon sign. It was a disturbing sight and she could have dealt with that but what came next was just about too much. The tyrant reached out and grabbed onto her arm, squeezing hard enough to hurt.

"Y-you have to help me," he rasped. There was no mistaking the voice.

"Megatron? Is it really you?"

"Yes. I'm still in here but I…can't do this alone." He sounded horrible.

"What do you want me to do?"

"There are others. Find them. And protect Galvatron." He released his hold on her arm and crumpled further onto the floor. As he did so, the swift depletion of her charge stopped. She placed a hand on his shoulder in an effort to be comforting.

"GET BACK! DON'T TOUCH ME!" Galvatron suddenly howled. To underscore the statement he swung his arm back savagely and caught the femme at shoulder level knocking her back several yards. She got to her feet after sliding to a stop and prepared for an attack.

"Forgive me Lord Galvatron, I was only trying to…."

"I DON'T NEED YOUR HELP! I DON"T NEED ANYONE'S HELP! GET OUT!" The Decepticon ruler was slowly standing and obviously still hurting.

"As you command," the femme said and quickly walked toward the exit. She risked a final glance backward. Galvatron was still much slower than normal. He had moved to the short staircase that led to his throne and sat there, head down and leaning forward.

Hey! What the fuck was all that? She thought at the voice. If you want me to help you have to stop with all this cryptic bullshit and tell me what's going on.

There was only silence in response, of course. What had just happened? Had she actually heard Megatron, or was it some dumbass reaction to the stress of Galvatron malfunctioning like that? She might have been able to convince herself that it was her imagination except that her lightning charge was greatly reduced. It was like when the voice would speak to her and then she blanked out only to become aware again and discover that she had fried another victim to a crisp. But this time she hadn't blanked. The voice was clearly much more than just a bizarre offshoot of her conscience or imagination, as scary as the idea was and as much as she didn't want it to be true. In fact, the flier had been denying the possibility for a while now. She needed help figuring this out. It was too much to manage alone but who could she ask? Mentioning it to Cyclonus was out of the question. If he thought she was causing any harm to Galvatron, unintentional or not, she would be in a world of hurt. Rumble and Frenzy could be trusted, but she didn't want them to think she was turning loony too. Who was left?

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Cyclonus sat alone inside the site headquarters at the mine. The structure was far enough from the excavation to not experience interference with communications. Things were slowly progressing. The Ranazite was of good quality and Shockwave would be able to estimate the strength of the energon derived from it soon. Though he tried to focus on the important goings on, he kept going back to ponder what to do about his feelings for the lone femme. If the Empire wasn't dealing with such dire circumstances and Galvatron was himself, there wouldn't be much question at all. There would be no reason not to pursue matters further to one conclusion or another. Technically there was nothing restricting him from that now. But there was so much to keep track of and oversee. It would be unwise to let himself get distracted and to lose his focus on critical matters. However, as it was now, he was extremely distracted. The best thing would be to put it all out of his mind, and he could certainly do that, as difficult as it might be initially. So what if he did? What if he kept things between them at a strictly professional level? He could continue to make Stormvolt a warrior and a credit to her faction but what would _she_ do?

A low rumble that grew steadily louder interrupted his reverie. The noise peaked as a roar straight overhead and then receded back into silence. That idiot was far off course again. The mech noticed he had clenched one hand into fist. He had to get over this irrational jealousy of Thrust. Or was it so irrational? If he did not act there was every possibility the femme could become attracted to him. They were the only two seekers, which most certainly heightened the possibility. If there were no threats, he could wait for a more opportune time but that wasn't the way things were. Fine, so what could happen if he were to make his intentions known? It was hard to imagine having someone he could trust, presumably. Scourge was generally reliable, but sometimes it was easy to get the feeling that he was less than completely devoted to the cause let alone their leader. The others could not be trusted. And even if they could be, some of them were so dumb he couldn't depend upon them for much of anything. And that was turning out to be unpredictable. When he had been inside the cavern with the Constructicons, Scrapper had had the idea for the ramps and a system for shoring up certain areas. Cyclonus was surprised the other mech had thought of it by himself.

All the possibilities, and questions and uncertainties were so frustrating! He would much rather plan battlefield strategies. At least that followed a certain logic, unlike trying to make sense of his own feelings and someone else's. Fine. He would treat this like combat. The situation called for decisive action so that is what he would take by making his intentions clear. The femme would have to understand that Galvatron and the Decepticon cause came first, though. He felt relieved to have finally decided upon a course of action when he realized he had overlooked yet another potential problem entirely. What if she wasn't interested? It wasn't impossible. In fact, judging from the way she had tensed all over when he had attempted the friendly (if clumsy) gesture of patting her on the back, it was probably the case. He pounded one fist down on the table where he sat. A chunk of Ranazite and a few tools jumped several inches into the air and clattered back down. Why must it always be something?

"_Come in Cyclonus,"_ a Sweep called over the communicator.

"What is it?" The mech snapped.

"_There's something in the cave you need to see,"_

xxxxxx

There wasn't a Decepticon around who hadn't seen a dead body, though usually it was one freshly created themselves. This was different. Bonecrusher had been near the top of the cavern searching out a good spot for an anchor to mount a roof support to. He had dug into one wall and when a large portion fell away, he was startled to find a dead mech. Judging from all the corrosion and decay, it had been buried an extremely long time. He had called the others. No way was he touching that nastiness.

Hook had prodded at the body and removed enough debris to uncover an insignia. It was hard to see at first on the blistered and peeled paint, but upon close inspection an Autobot symbol was visible. Disgusting.

Cyclonus was expecting a minor, trivial problem, certainly not this. He was met by the Sweep and the two of them joined the others hovering alongside the steep wall.

"Is this the only one?" He asked.

"As far as I can tell," Scavenger said. "I don't detect anything similar."

"Hey, I could turn those scraps into some kind of glue!" Mixmaster said excitedly.

"You will do nothing of the sort." Cyclonus said, scowling at him. "Find a container for the parts and remove them."

xxxxx

Galvatron had cut her loose and she didn't need a recharge, so Stormvolt felt a visit to the mine was in order. It could take her mind off the weirdness from earlier until she decided what to do and she hadn't seen it since the initial visit weeks ago. The coordinates were in her navigation memory components, but once she arrived, it was hard to tell anything was there. Dropping out of the sky revealed the cover over the trench. The Constructicons had done a nice job, especially considering what they had to work with. The quiet was striking. She expected the area to be a hub of noise and activity.

One end of the original trench was sloped down and had a separate low roof placed over it. She walked down the ramp into the darker gloom. It was still eerily silent. At moments like this she was glad to have weapons mounted in places where they were always drawn and ready. Eventually there were some weak lights mounted to the walls on either side. The air began to smell musty which only added to the overall creepiness. Familiar shapes materialized in the gloom.

"Hi guys. Where is everybody?"

"You're just in time," Frenzy said.

"For what?

"Wanna see somethin' gross?" Rumble asked.

"I don't know. What is it?"

"A dead Autobot."

"Yeah? Did they catch him spying?"

"Nah. He's been scrapped for ages. The Constructicons found him."

"Let's go, they're digging him out right now," Frenzy said as he peered into the cavern.

Having been organic, Stormvolt didn't think there would be much to find gross about a dead 'bot. The three of them joined the small crowd hovering around the wall. Hook and Scrapper were removing parts and not being gentle, casually tossing the remains into a box held by Longhaul. The armor was heavily corroded and had holes in several places. The femme noticed that some sections came apart as they were pulled free and others seemed to be missing entirely. There were a few metal lines and conduits visible as well as wiring that had lost its insulation long ago. When Hook pulled a section of leg and it came apart in his hand, she heard Rumble make a disgusted noise.

"Why don't you see if you can mutilate it further?" Cyclonus asked sarcastically.

"What do you care? And _he_ sure isn't going to feel it." Hook said, gesturing toward the carcass.

"That isn't the point. Be more careful."

"I think I've seen enough," Rumble muttered, and headed for the surface.

"Me too," Frenzy said. "Are you comin'?"

"In a minute," the seeker replied, and then moved over to where Cyclonus was watching the activity.

Appalling. While the Autobots were enemies, there were instances when that didn't matter so much. The second in command knew that if Decepticon remains were discovered, they would be returned in the best condition possible, not torn apart and crammed into a box. But then that sort of action was professional courtesy among real soldiers so why should he expect better of this riff raff?

"Do we know who that was?" A voice behind him asked.

The mech turned to find Stormvolt watching over his shoulder. "No. What are you doing here?"

"Galvatron kicked me out, so I thought I'd see how the mine was coming along." She watched for a few more seconds. "What are you going to do with him?"

xxxxxx

"Why me?" Stormvolt asked. After the Autobot was disinterred from his accidental grave (there were still melted portions of armor recognizable, suggesting a sudden, violent death) and the remains placed in the box, Cyclonus took it from Longhaul and returned to the surface after motioning to the femme to follow him. Once back above ground, she was given her assignment: return the body to Cybertron.

"Scourge and I are busy here, and this requires professionalism. One does not send rank and file soldiers for business of this nature." He left out the part that she was among the least battered looking and would not appear beaten and subservient fulfilling the role, especially after her last visit. Furthermore she would be unlikely to do something ridiculous and embarrassing.

Wow. So he considered her better than a regular soldier? Interesting. "What, is there some kind of ceremony?"

"No but there are formalities to be observed."

"Such as?"

"All you have to do is mimic the actions of whatever Autobot comes to receive their comrade until the box is in their hands. Then you stand until whoever it is returns to the rest of the party. After that someone will either address you or provide clearance to depart."

"That's all?"

"The only other thing is when you request permission to land you will demand to see an Autobot of consequence, someone high ranking, and then tell them why. You will not be refused."

"Are you sure this is safe? What if they decide they want to get even for whoever that is?" She asked, pointing at the box.

"It is obvious that his death was very long ago. They will not seek vengeance on you." Even if the death had occurred recently, she was still safer on Cybertron than on Chaar.

"How do you know for sure?"

"Because that is the way they are."

Why was it so hard to get a straight answer out of anyone? She was going to land alone in the midst of those evil slaggers with the dead body of another of them. What could stop them from doing whatever they wanted if they felt like it?

"Is there anything else I should be aware of?"

"No. I don't need to remind you to conduct yourself appropriately, I presume. Mind your manners and this will be easy."


	19. And the Hits Just Keep On Coming

Author's note: Thanks for reading and commenting and favorite-ing. Transformers belongs to Hasbro and Takara. I'm just using it for fun. I wish there was a way to make a living from fan fiction though.

A Blessing and A Curse  
By: Quetzal1

Chapter 18  
And the Hits Just Keep On Coming

xxx

Kup was anxious. It wasn't the first time he had participated in the return of remains, although it had been a long while since he had done it last. It never got easier, but this one was worse somehow. The old Autobot felt guilty about the disappearance of Dart. Maybe he'd sent him out on his own too soon, but the kid was enthusiastic and tried so hard. There was no hint of what became of him since his disappearance. The asteroid had been thoroughly scoured for the slightest clue but none were found. Some thought Decepticons had gotten him, but if that were true, wouldn't there have been a ransom demand long before now? There was the possibility of Quintessons too. Of course the Great Wars had spanned millions of years and the far reaches of the galaxy so there were plenty of their faction who had gone MIA. It could be any one of thousands who were missing. He glanced over at Rodimus who was beside him and looking a little impatient. This would be his first involvement in the grim proceedings and he was not thrilled at the prospect, but would fulfill his duties as leader. There were a lot of things he didn't like about being Prime, but there was nothing to be done about it. The Matrix had chosen him and that was that. On his other side was Ultra Magnus. He would be the one to complete the transfer. Magnus was calm. This was part of his job though he would be happy when it was over. Nearby stood Chromia and Jazz with weapons at the ready. They were the nearest available who could serve as a security detail. One could never be too careful when dealing with Decepticons. All of them were listening for the roar of engines, knowing that the seeker femme who had previously been there with Cyclonus was the one returning what was left of their late comrade.

This was quite a turn out, Stormvolt thought. There weren't as many Autobots as during the last visit but she was alone and it was supposed to be a peaceful exchange. She hoped so. There were more present than she could fight off by herself if they tried to attack. After being pleased by how she was supposedly doing Galvatron a lot of good, she could not imagine Cyclonus sending her into a situation that was dangerous and would risk the benefits she was providing to their leader. On the other hand, he'd been acting odd since the visit to Planet No-Name, as she had begun to think of it. He was still emphasizing the same stuff but had taken to acting nearly…friendly in certain ways. Mainly it was all the touching. First the pat on the back, then later after telling her that this mission would be easy if she minded her manners, she had reluctantly assented to it (as though she had a choice), and the mech had placed a hand gently on one shoulder and said: "I do not anticipate disappointment." Huh? What was that about? Was it his version of wishing her luck? He couldn't seem to do anything without a lot of grave formality. She wondered if possibly all that exposure to lightning scrambled something. Just because it was good for her didn't mean that being around it for a prolonged period wouldn't cause problems for anyone else. As usual, there wasn't time to ponder the subject.

Considering how evil the Autobots were, no one on Chaar acted too concerned about the close proximity to their enemy. The prevailing attitude seemed to be that unless provoked, the Autobots would leave them alone. In truth they had every advantage and could eradicate all the Decepticons if they wanted, so why didn't they? It was a question for later. She kept reducing the antigravity, gradually getting lower then landing gracefully outside the Decepticon crypt, without even needing to take a step to steady herself. Evidently, this was the only place they were allowed regardless of the occasion. They must have something going on other places they didn't want anyone to know about. Too bad. It would have been nice to get to see Darkmount and the Hall of Heroes.

She stood rigidly facing the Autobots and waited. Eventually Ultra Magnus approached. He was here during the last visit, but all the others were different. She guessed the one who was standing between Ultra Magnus and some old looking 'bot was the current leader, Rodimus Prime. He seemed kind of young to be in charge and did not radiate any of the authority of his predecessor. It was hard not to curl a lip in disgust as Magnus got closer. This guy was responsible for the deaths of Dirge and Ramjet and no telling who else. It was true that she had never been close to either, but it was the principle of the thing. He was bigger than her but electricity didn't give a damn what size you were. No, she had to calm down. One wrong move and she was dead as whoever was in this box, and besides, she had been told to act appropriately. That settled her nerves. If she screwed up there was a good chance the odd pats on the back could turn into a hard smack upside the head.

Magnus remembered the femme and her death threats. Now she was being sent on missions like this. Evidently it hadn't taken her long to fit in. He still hoped there weren't more like her on the way. Stormvolt regarded him with a stony expression and remained silent. The mech had gotten within a few feet of her before reaching out to take the container. It wasn't too large and was surprisingly light. Both of them heard the slight rustle and scrape of the contents. Once it was in his hands, he bowed forward slightly, not taking his optics off her and she returned the gesture.

"This return was Cyclonus' doing, wasn't it?" He asked quietly. No way would Galvatron order it.

"Yes," she replied, saying nothing further.

"Kindly pass along my appreciation."

"Certainly."

He began the short walk to where the others waited, but it was hard to turn his back on the seeker. It ran counter to all his experience to do so even though there were weapons on her the entire time. He was right to feel that way. The femme stood in the position that a human soldier would recognize as parade rest and watched him go while concentrating to keep the reticle from popping into her vision. Getting a weapons lock on anyone here, even accidentally would be extraordinarily stupid. Magnus returned to the side of his leader and the three of them turned to leave. She saw the old 'bot nudge Rodimus and mumble something then clearly heard the young leader say, "Oh, right." He had forgotten to say anything to the Decepticon or release her from the proceedings.

"You're free to go," he said, turning to face her.

A big mistake on your part, dumbass, she thought, but actually said: "Very well." And then an idea occurred to her. "Would you mind if I visited the crypt before I depart?"

Rodimus looked over at Jazz and Chromia. Jazz shrugged and nodded assent. Fine with him, the two of them had only been on a regular patrol. Though the Decepticon threat appeared nullified, there were still minor disputes occasionally as more and more neutrals returned and began to resume their lives. Chromia said nothing, but appeared rather angry.

"Sure. Go ahead."

Stormvolt said nothing in response but started walking to the entrance. His casualness was not a quality she'd like much in a leader. Not that insanity was great. The high-ranking mechs left. They would take the box to Perceptor and he would attempt identification of whoever it was. The two armed Autobots took up positions near the opening to the crypt. The seeker could almost feel the angry glare of the femme bouncing off of her armor. What was her problem?

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"What's in it for me?" Swindle asked.

Vortex carefully restrained the urge to punch his fellow Combaticon. "Are you serious? How about leadership of the entire faction?" He asked.

"Yeah, but I'd have to share with the rest of you guys," he replied. There wasn't much energon or anything else to go around now and sharing wasn't his style when things were good.

"Yes, you would, but it would be better than scrounging to survive."

Not when you're an expert at it, Swindle mused, but only nodded thoughtfully.

"Listen, just think about it for now, okay?" Vortex asked. If it came down to it, he could always have Brawl beat some compliance into the other mech. It would be better if he cooperated on his own, though.

"Sure." Thinking about it was all he would do. If Onslaught got word of this, things would get ugly. Was Vortex having a logic circuit malfunction? He could think of very few mechs who hadn't talked about taking over at one point or another, but the interrogator actually sounded serious. Swindle was crafty and underhanded and knew when to listen to his instincts. Right then they were telling him no good could come from this, and scrounging to survive or not, it was better than facing their group leader, or worse, Galvatron if he heard of it. On the other hand, information like this could be valuable. Perhaps he would see what else he could discover. There had to be someone on this rock who'd make it worth his while.

Vortex watched him wander away. For now there was himself and Brawl. That coward Swindle could be forced into place, which left Blast Off. He was gone on scouting missions a lot, though, and he wasn't on friendly terms with anyone. If the four of them were united, they could make Onslaught join them whether he wanted to or not. But that was a long way off. Motormaster was right in thinking that they needed to move slowly and carefully. And speaking of the Stunticon, where was he? Come to think of it, he hadn't seen any of them for days now. He leapt into the air and transformed, rotors already spinning fast enough to keep him aloft. Maybe it was time to pay them a visit.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

There was definitely nothing in that wall. Stormvolt had scanned it twice to make sure. It was solid without any hidden compartments. Megatron, or whatever was left of him was not here. She wasn't expecting to find anything but still had to check before being willing to try to accept the idea that he was still alive in the form of Galvatron and possibly trying to stage a comeback.

As she walked away, what she had seen played over in her mind again and again. According to Rumble and Frenzy, Galvatron had been normal before disappearing and having the plasma accident. Now he was crazy, but unbeknownst to anyone other than her, he evidently had a split personality. His old self was still in there someplace, but why was it only talking to her? The voice in her head wasn't her conscience or anything like that. It was it's own entity and it was acting of its own accord. When he briefly took over, he did say that there were others. Was it also communicating with someone else? And who? There was also the matter of her lightning charge. The drain lasted only as long as Megatron commandeered Galvatron's body, another oddity. She shook her head to try to clear the confusing thoughts. When she looked up again, she was close to where her friends were laid to rest. Was there any chance of all that crap about Starscream's ghost being true? Surely not. The femme glanced around. She was much calmer on this visit and all the thoughts about reformatting and ghosts reminded her of a past discussion. Somewhere in here was her own marker. Where would it be? She had checked out (or so everyone thought) a while before the others, consequently it should be near that section. She wandered back through, studiously looking at the floor rather than at the statues of her friends. There would be enough of that as soon as she found what she was after. Leaving that area, there was a hallway that went off to the left. Flickering torches cast a gloomy light and there was a large, rectangular object on one wall. How did the Decepticons develop such Gothic tastes in interior decorating? It was appropriate for a tomb but not what she imagined when anyone had spoken of it.

The object that was centered between two torches was exactly what she was searching for. It was made of a silvery metal and featured a larger than life sized bas-relief sculpture of her old form. Someone had done a nice job on it. It definitely looked like her right down to the weapons and way she rolled the sleeves up on her shirts and tucked her boot strings in so they wouldn't catch on anything. The inscription was simple like all the others. IN MEMORY OF ERICA J. DAWES and beneath that LOYAL DECEPTICON ALLY. In smaller letters still lower was: DEACTIVATED IN THE LAST EARTH BATTLE FOR CYBERTRON. Last Earth battle? It was an optimistic thought anyway. Good ol' 'Warp. It was freaky to be admiring what was essentially your own grave while thinking how sweet it was of someone to put it there. Enough of this. Time to go back and say 'hello'.

There was a bench against one wall and she carried it out to the floor about halfway between the markers for Thundercracker and Skywarp. "Hi, boys," she said, sitting down. "I don't know why you guys have to be the only ones who stay dead around here. Megatron might be still around and I hear Starscream's ghost has been lurking about. Of course there's me, too." And then to Skywarp's likeness: "Nice plaque by the way. I bet I didn't get squat back on Earth. Thanks." The mute statue stared down at her. It had a hard expression that she had seldom seen on his face in reality. Usually he was more upbeat. Thundercracker looked annoyed, but he had had a tendency to scowl a little when he was concentrating intently. The only sound was the occasional pop from the large flame at the center of the room. She must sound like a lunatic, sitting here talking to statues, but this was as good as it was going to get. "I really miss you guys."

"I wouldn't mind seeing you two either," she continued, gesturing toward the statues of Dirge and Ramjet. Just incase they had some variety of afterlife and could hear her, she didn't want anyone feeling left out. And on that note…

"_You_, however, can kiss my blue and silver ass," she said, turning to glance at Starscream's marker where his likeness smirked down at the room from its perch on a plain, unadorned base that must have been where remains were sealed. Base. Why did everyone in here have one except… The femme turned to check again. Thundercracker and Skywarp's statues were supported by columns.

xxxxxx

"What's she doing?" Chromia grumbled impatiently.

"I don't know. She may have a lot of friends down there," Jazz replied. He was uncomfortable. Chromia only seemed to get angrier by the day.

"I hope so. I'd like to add to the collection."

"You don't mean that. We've got peace here now and should focus on the future."

"Peace? We don't have any peace. What we have here is a period of calm before those lousy slaggers cause us more grief."

The mech was surprised to hear her swear like that. Losing Ironhide had been hard on her. But she appeared to be the only one who wasn't gradually getting on with their life after the loss of so many of their friends. Sure those two were much more than friends but still, the way she was growing more volatile was beginning to cause concern among others in addition to Jazz. Elita One (who, if she was having any particular difficulties dealing with the death of Optimus Prime, wasn't letting it show or interfere with her job) had told him that she wasn't able to get through to the other femme and wasn't sure what to do about her.

"They're barely surviving and they have no leadership to speak of."

"So? You know they have a way of coming back just when you think they're finally beaten for good. Why couldn't Unicron have destroyed them?"

"Unicron? Why not do it yourself?" A new voice interjected. The seeker had emerged from the crypt and was walking toward them cautiously.

"Why? Because then we'd be no better than you," Chromia spat viciously.

"You don't have to keep up the good guy act. It's only us 'bots here. There are no humans for you to impress," Stormvolt replied with a trace of snarkiness.

"What are you talking about?" Jazz asked.

"Please. I know you were on Earth, Jazz. There's no need to pretend you weren't out to destroy us and keep it for yourself."

"We weren't out to destroy you, just keep you from enslaving the humans and ruining the planet that's all."

"Oh stop. You have Cybertron now, and more energon than you know what to do with. Tell me the truth: Why haven't you tried to finish us off?

"Believe me I wish we could. But like I said, if we did it would make us no better than a bunch of filthy, murdering, lying, thieving Decepticons," said Chromia.

The seeker appeared kind of surprised at the outburst, the mech noted. She recovered quickly however.

"How dare you. All we've done has been because of you bastards. You wanted to rule Cybertron and keep us down, and then you go to Earth to find the means to do it but not before spreading your lies and having everyone thinking we're evil. Then we're forced to act out of desperation which only makes it look true."

Chromia and Jazz looked at each other in confusion and then back at Stormvolt who had started as curious and was now most of the way to pissed off.

"You're as crazy as Galvatron. Is there a single one of you that hasn't fried their CPUs?" The Autobot femme asked with a sneer.

"Why don't you come over here and say that, hmmmm?" The Decepticon invited in a soft voice. She'd show her fried, all right.

"If that's how you want it. I'd be happy to decrease your numbers further," Chromia said, attempting to hand her blaster rifle to the mech who could hardly believe what he was seeing.

"How about that? A death threat from one of the oh-so-noble Autobots." Stormvolt said, smiling in a way that promised nothing good while simultaneously getting into a fighting stance. "Let's go, bitch." The ceremony was long over and Cyclonus hadn't said anything about not responding to insults and threats.

"No! Chromia, you will stop this right now, that's an order!" Jazz said, his voice going from its usual easygoing style to authoritarian. He did not like to pull rank, but would do it purely as a last resort. The Decepticon was bigger and heavier, although Chromia was furious, which might even it out, but this was not a chance he was willing to take. It couldn't be allowed to happen. "You're an Autobot. Act like it."

"Yes, see if you can find a new planet to subjugate while you tell them what great friends you'll be," Stormvolt said. She was hoping the Autobot would thoughtlessly rush at her. If so, one good stomp on either of those thin, human-like ankle joints and she'd go down like a ton of bricks, though not before being grabbed and serving as a shield in the event Jazz decided to get involved which he surely would. Either way, it would be all over for this ridiculous creature. She remembered her lessons well. Cyclonus had taught her to assess potential weak points and go after them hard. In fact, it wasn't limited to the ankles. Most of the way her opponent was constructed was very human compared to any mech she had seen. Weird.

"And it's time for _you_ to leave," Jazz said, pointing his weapon at her.

"Go back to your glitched up friends," Chromia snarled. She was seething and not being allowed to take it out on one of the sources of her rage only made it worse. Though to be honest, she'd never seen nor heard of this particular Decepticon, but what did it matter? They were all alike.

"You seriously need to do something about that anger problem, but I will admit this much: You were right earlier. We Decepticons DO have a way of coming back," Stormvolt said and chuckled.

"Get going!" The mech ordered.

The femme smiled insolently and then went airborne before transforming and heading for home. In her alt mode it was impossible to see the smirk dissolve into a perplexed expression on her faceplate. What in the hell was all that? She had left the crypt and caught the two Autobots conversing. Neither of them noticed her (the silence of antigravity was a wonderful thing). She had heard Chromia say that there truly wasn't peace and then the mech mentioned the dismal state the Decepticons were in and, she could be wrong here, but the Autobot almost sounded… pitying. It was just the three of them and she knew who Jazz was from before. He would certainly be able to answer her questions. And then it nearly turned into a fight with the both of them more or less calling her and all the 'Cons out there evil. Why would they do that? There was absolutely no reason for them to keep up the pretense of being "good." They had everything so one would expect them to take the perfect opportunity to gloat. Anything that was supposed to be an answer only ended up raising more and difficult questions. Why couldn't something normal happen for a change? Some benefit came from the whole confrontation, though. Their discussion momentarily distracted her from the latest discovery: there were no remains where her friends were memorialized.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Motormaster wondered how much longer he'd have to stay in the small bunker. It was sunk into the ground and had a cover that rendered it invisible from above but allowed a 360 degree view. There wasn't much to see as it was in an especially dismal and barren area of Chaar. Designated periods were allowed for recharging and Laserbeak or Thrust brought out Energon. Laserbeak had nothing to say, as usual and Thrust wasn't particularly friendly either. When casually asked about what was going on he denied knowledge of anything stating he merely patrolled a perimeter as ordered. Right. He came out and attacked them with the second in command and yet he wasn't privy to what this was all about? At least he didn't know who had attacked him. A faint noise registered with his audio sensors. It grew to a low fluttering sound. Vortex. The Stunticon pulled himself out of the bunker and stepped out into the open where he could be spotted. He could use his communicator, but did not want to run the risk of anyone overhearing.

"What are you doing out here?" Vortex asked as he transformed back to his robot mode but not before the main rotor had whipped a lot of dust into the air. He had been searching for a while and almost decided that Motormaster must be off-planet on a mission or another matter.

"I have no idea," he replied, swatting at the dust that hung like fog, before it slowly began to settle.

"What's all that?" The Combaticon asked, pointing at the now obvious bunker. From the air, he hadn't a clue it was there.

"A guard post. The question is what am I guarding," Motormaster said, before recounting the story of how he got there (carefully leaving out the embarrassing parts.)

"No one told you?"

"Not a word."

"I'll poke around and see what I can find out."

It was a task that would turn out to be far easier than either of them anticipated.


	20. Do Ya Do Ya Want My Love?

**Author's Note**: I don't know how hard core you guys are about things like what gets borrowed from episodes and the order it's used, but I'll say right now I've probably taken events out of order a tiny bit in this one. And I also left out some stuff on purpose. That's because of animation errors (how can you have Bruticus in one place and Brawl somewhere else at the same time?) and for the sake of ease of telling the story. It's nothing major though. Oh, and one other thing, don't let the chapter title (borrowed from ELO) fool you. I'm maintaining the no sticky, lame, overblown romance policy. Thanks for reading and everything. I appreciate it. Transformers belongs to Hasbro and Takara, not me.

xxx

A Blessing and A Curse  
By: Quetzal1

Chapter 19  
Do Ya Do Ya Want My Love?

"_If it is to your advantage, make a forward move…" – _Sun Tzu_ - The Art of War_

xxx

Navigation had never been a problem for Thrust until the past few months. He could keep himself going in generally the right direction but was unable to maintain the precision that used to be second nature. His internal diagnostics could find no problems but he wasn't totally convinced something wasn't out of adjustment, although he seemed to regain some of his old form when he was away from this scrubby little planet. Either way, he was off course again. He should be far from here on the other side of a small mountain range, but instead, he could see the mine headquarters below. Stormvolt was supposed to be working in there. Hopefully she had a minute or two to see if there was anything obviously wrong with his direction finding equipment. He banked into a spiraling descent and transformed. As he touched down and reached for the door, there was a low, heavy BOOM from within the structure. The mech had to step back as Rumble hurriedly exited.

"What was that?"

"_That _was the third explosion today," the small mech said tiredly. His front side was sooty in a couple places and he had the air of one who'd been having a hard go of it.

"DAMN IT!" Came the roar of an angry voice from inside.

"And that's Stormvolt gettin' really sick of bein' blown up." Rumble added.

"Is she alright?"

A large, smoking piece of unidentifiable machinery crashed into the door, swinging it open, before continuing outside and rolling across the ground.

"Yeah, she's fine, but I'd watch out if I were you."

xxx

How could she be expected to build anything that operated properly when all there was to work with was scavenged leftover parts that were never meant to go together in the first place? Stormvolt was tempted to kick what remained of the energon converter around the room and then maybe jump up and down on it for good measure. But that would be stupid since there were still useable parts on it. In a fit of frustrated anger she had already ripped the failed component from the device and hurled it out the door.

Calm down, relax, you can figure this out, she thought to herself. The femme rubbed a hand across her faceplate as she walked in a small circle. She had been very short tempered since the visit to Cybertron. There were many serious questions on her mind and no good way to get answers. Frankly, she was scared of most of those elusive answers. If she went off line to recharge, there were disturbing dreams. Her days were filled with listening to Galvatron's ceaseless rants (so far no more visits from his other half) and working on various projects around the mine. The converter was the latest. She hadn't seen much of Cyclonus, Scourge or Galvatron lately, as they were always off on one mission or another. A few of the remaining Decepticons were summoned occasionally, but never her. It figured. As a human, she wanted to be nothing more than an engineer but was made to fight, and now that she wanted to fight, she had to hang around Chaar. If she were able to express emotion in human fashion, it was possible she wouldn't always be feeling so angry. As it was, destructive behavior was the sole outlet. It couldn't be healthy but it was the only way.

The converter was supposed to turn Ranazite into energon. She was given the task of building the apparatus and it was proving to be harder than she expected. Although that wasn't entirely bad since it took her mind off her other problems. Rumble was assigned to help as his size allowed him to tweak and install smaller parts in places that were hard for the seeker to reach. The available equipment necessitated design ideas that she would never have used if they'd had the proper parts. She liked the mech and he also made her laugh sometimes, relieving the pressure, so his presence was a good thing. They were attempting to make a small version of the converter first to work out the kinks and then they would build the final form. It wasn't so different from the other one they already had except that this one required heavier parts and a more elaborate system to do the converting because of the strength and purity of the raw material. Well, shit. Back to the drawing board.

"Excuse me, but do you have a moment?" Thrust asked cautiously, peeking around the edge of the door. "I can come back later, if you wish." Rumble hadn't been exaggerating, the femme looked pretty hostile.

"Hello Thrust, what brings you here?"

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Once again they had come so close to success only to have it snatched away and replaced with abject failure. Scourge and Cyclonus had inadvertently discovered the planet Paradron, a world astoundingly similar to Cybertron and inhabited by a bunch of peace loving Autobots (although their aversion to violence labeled them as neutrals in his view) who had fled the great wars. There was an apparently endless supply of energon and no one to protect it. Galvatron was advised of the discovery and had arrived with reinforcements. The planet was theirs and then the Autobots arrived. Somehow one of them had managed to get to the energon core at the heart of the planet and detonate a bomb. To make matters worse, now the Autobots would likely have a huge number of the Paradron neutrals joining their ranks as soldiers.

Cyclonus risked a glance at Galvatron. As usual, he gave the impression of being furious but also of concentration, perhaps he was already thinking of a plan for revenge. That was unusual, but nevertheless a huge improvement over taking it out on his own soldiers. Whatever the femme was doing had to be maintained. He'd been able to keep his mind on his objectives rather than her while they were seizing Paradron. That was a good sign, indicating that he could keep the two things separate. Whenever he had nothing in particular to focus on he often thought about the day on the dying planet. Her destructive force was a thing of beauty. He needed to resume her training. If she were unleashed upon their enemies it could be enough to turn things in their favor for once. It certainly wouldn't hurt. Although, he'd have to make sure not to include her in anything too dangerous because Galvatron's well-being was paramount. That's how he rationalized it anyway.

Upon returning to Chaar, the Decepticon tyrant said nothing but stalked off into the headquarters building. No one followed. The remaining mechs were given their orders regarding the mine and then Cyclonus was off to see if there were any advancements made in his absence. Some but not all of the Constructicons and Combaticons were present on Paradron. Soundwave had been there also, which meant the others were left here without reliable supervision. No doubt there were many duties being shirked at this very minute. That should be remedied as soon as possible.

There simply hadn't been the opportunity for him to give any indication as to his intent toward the seeker femme. Once he had decided what to do, it was nothing but days and days of chaos thereafter. In addition to, but before the discovery and loss of Paradron, there had also been the attempt to resurrect Unicron led by that abominable wretch Starscream. What amazed him the most was that Scourge had assisted in this crime. The hunter swore that the former Air Commander's spirit had possessed him and forced him to do its bidding until he was afraid to come back and then Unicron was controlling them both. Cyclonus remained unconvinced and would have to watch Scourge more closely from now on. What he saw spinning out of control certainly didn't look like a ghost. Fortunately for Scourge, Galvatron believed his story though it did still merit a beating. Luckier still for all of them was the fact that Unicron was successfully repelled and the disembodied head was once again orbiting Cybertron. Someone would have to retrieve Trypticon's eye and transformation cog from it at some point, though. Hopefully things would calm down now.

xxxxx

Rumble had made himself comfortable outside the building. Unless the femme called him back he would stay right where he was. He had put in a lot of work, more than he was used to and he was ready for a good recharge. He didn't mind working with Stormvolt who considered his small stature an asset, rather than something to insult him about. Having once been much smaller than he and Frenzy, she ought to know. But she wasn't quite herself. The femme was distracted and not as patient as usual. She was acting a lot like Soundwave when he had those weird problems with his recharge cycles. Could she be having the same trouble? He wanted to ask, but didn't want her mad at him. Too bad Frenzy wasn't there. His twin was much better at that kind of thing. As he was about to attempt a quick charge, movement to the right caught his optic. Ah, frag. It was Cyclonus. He didn't like the second in command nor Scourge or the Sweeps either, but not for the same reasons as most of the others. Though he liked to fight and cause trouble, Rumble was far from stupid. If Galvatron really used to be Megatron, then where did the others come from? You didn't have to be a genius to see it. The thing was, he had been sure that some of them had deactivated or were very near it when Starscream had kicked them out. So if they had come back, wouldn't they be like what they called the Zombie Squadron on Earth except for real? He had to stop thinking about it, especially when one of them was looming over him.

"Why are you not assisting Stormvolt?" Cyclonus asked with a more intense frown than usual. He despised laziness.

"She told me to come out here and take five," Rumble replied, trying not to betray his unease. Ugh, this guy was creepy!

"Five what?" Cyclonus asked, but then decided he didn't feel like waiting for the explanation. "Never mind."

Rumble relaxed a little but was sorry he hadn't spotted the big slagger in time to warn the femme who was probably going to get caught goofing off talking to Thrust. On the other hand, she did seem to get along with him, but she'd gotten on all right with the zombie seekers too.

xxxxx

"I didn't see anything out of place, but it's hard to tell without running external diagnostic tests," Stormvolt said, tightening the fasteners securing a heavy armor plate on Thrust's back. She had checked over as much of his navigation systems as she could without major disassembly.

"Thank you for trying, regardless," Thrust replied. "I realize you are busy."

"Yes, busy getting blown up."

"What is that?" The mech asked, gesturing at the obviously broken device lying on the floor.

"Eventually it will be an energon converter for the Ranazite, but right now it's a pain in my tail. Do you know any-" she said, not getting to finish the question.

"What is going on here?" Cyclonus interrupted. Thrust was unhappy to find himself the subject of an angry glare again.

"Greetings, Cyclonus," Stormvolt said.

"Greetings," he replied before immediately turning his attention back to the red seeker. "Aren't you supposed to be on patrol?" So he WAS right to be concerned about the two of them.

"I, uh, was having some problems with my navigation controls and I thought possibly she could see if there was anything wrong." Thrust replied, intimidated. He did not want to get on the bad side of the other mech, for the obvious reasons and also because he was finally being useful again and not treated as though he had a case of cosmic rust.

"I see. There is no place for malingerers, Thrust. Get back out there and do not let me catch you avoiding your responsibilities again." His optics burned a deep crimson and the low, sinister pitch of his voice made the threat as clear as any physical gesture.

"As you command," the seeker replied and got out as quickly as he could while maintaining his dignity.

"You know, I don't think he was faking a malfunction," Stormvolt said. Boy, someone was in a pissy mood. And why did everyone hate Thrust? You could see why a Stunticon might, but Cyclonus was a flier himself. Who knew?

"If it was not life threatening, it could wait until he wasn't occupied with other matters. But enough about _him,_ I am here to check on _your_ progress." He said, going from annoyed to pleasant.

Great. This surely wouldn't go over favorably. "There hasn't been much, I'm afraid."

Cyclonus remained silent, waiting on the explanation.

"Some of it was because of my mistakes, but there's also a problem with the parts. Nothing we have is strong enough to withstand the power created by the Ranazite," she said, pointing at the collection of burned out pieces that littered the workbench. "I get one thing fixed and then it's something else."

"You will simply have to keep trying," the mech replied, matter of factly.

He was taking this awfully well. She was expecting him to yell at her at the absolute least.

"What have you been doing?" She asked, crouching to pick up the converter from the floor.

"It is a long story. The main point is that we failed in our objective."

"Don't care to discuss it, huh?" She asked, hefting the object to a workbench and then inspecting it closely.

"Perhaps later."

"I know how you …" The femme was about to say "feel" when something caught her attention. There was a faint glow in the outflow pipe.

"What is it?" Cyclonus asked, noticing the way she was suddenly very interested in the broken machine.

"Look at this!" She said, removing her hand from the pipe, examining it and then extending it toward him. On the index finger was a blob of pinkish energon. It was gelatinous instead of a liquid, but it _was _energon.

"Evidently you were more successful than you thought," the mech said, obviously pleased. At last, something was going in their favor.

"Yes, sort of. If I had another oscillating capacitor only bigger and stronger, I think we could get some real juice out of this. Of course then we'd have to build up the rest of it."

"I will send Laserbeak to get another from the repair facility," Cyclonus said.

"Don't bother. I burned out the only one that was close to strong enough and there are only two small ones left."

The mech considered the information for a couple seconds. "I know where there may be others. Let's go."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"So there you have it," Vortex said, as he tossed a chunk of Ranazite to Motormaster. In the absence of Cyclonus and the others, it hadn't been difficult to get a sample from Deadend, but then he was summoned to participate in the events on Paradron so it was days before the item was delivered.

"And energon can be made from this?" Motormaster replied, catching the stone and thoroughly examining it.

"Deadend says they're already working on it."

The Stunticon thought a moment. "It would be great to have real fuel again instead of that garbage we've been getting."

"Yeah, I thought so at first too, but consider the ramifications."

"What?"

"If everybody is getting the good stuff, they aren't going to be as easy to bring over to our side. They'll get complacent."

"I see."

"Yes, and it could be used to trade for other items. Galvatron could secure his position further."

"Of course we would benefit from this as well, but not like _them_." While potentially a good development it made their objectives more difficult. Happy subjects wouldn't want to revolt. "What we need is a way to get some of this for ourselves and become stronger and better armed first, then strike before they know what happened."

"That could take some doing. Even if we had any, it's a long way from being energon," said Vortex.

"We'll let them figure that part out. Meanwhile, we can try to get our own store of Ranazite so we can be ready to go once the technology is developed." Motormaster replied.

"How will that get us ahead of them?"

"Once the energon is created, I'm sure they will test it and experiment with it before they actually put it to use. We, on the other hand won't waste the time. What do I care about any of that if I'm trading it to someone else? Then it becomes their problem."

"You sound like Swindle."

Motormaster smirked but then his expression fell.

"What is it?" The Combaticon asked.

"Let's say we do have our own supply and then they figure out how to convert it. _I_ certainly don't know how to replicate the necessary device. I'm a fighter, not a _scientist,_" he said, with disdain for the latter profession.

"You won't have to know and neither will I. The word is that Rumble's been helping the femme with that project."

"So?"

"Both of those miniature glitches have been hanging around with Deadend. I don't know about Frenzy, but Rumble could possibly know enough to recreate whatever they've made. And he might be one of us."

That could be extremely useful. A spy close to the leadership, and one who might already know the important secrets too, including the story on the seeker.

"Notify Deadend that I need to see him and tell him to make sure no one knows he's coming out here.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"You're telling me they blew up the _entire planet_?" Stormvolt asked, incredulous.

"Yes. I was rather surprised they would go to such lengths myself." Cyclonus replied.

xxx

The pair had gone back to the asteroid where they had first met. After a minimum amount of searching they were able to locate a number of capacitors that would be suitable. The seeker had also taken extra items that looked potentially useful. Not bad. The first time she had been there, she hadn't noticed what all the detritus was comprised of, what with crashing and then being captured.

On the way back to Chaar she was thinking of catching a short recharge before resuming work on the converter. However, Cyclonus had suggested something far better and they had diverted to Planet No-Name. Instead of the desert, the active weather was in an area that was similar to the Rocky Mountain region. And it was dark. The lightning lit up the area but it took care to avoid flying into a mountainside. There was no attempt at training or target practice. The femme was cut loose to do as she pleased, with the understanding that they couldn't stay too long. The mech watched as she sustained several hits and was able to contain the energy and channel it with much more control than before. Coming here was a good idea. It was a far more suitable environment for what he had to do than the trashy asteroid. The weather system was fast moving and by the time the dim, red moon emerged from the tattered clouds, they were sitting on a high outcropping of rock discussing recent events.

xxx

"I can see where they would fight back after you guys got there and took over, but that was just crazy." In fact, the knowledge that her faction had shown up and promptly laid claim to a planet that no one knew existed previously was unsettling and began to stir the fears she was trying to ignore, but then hearing what the Autobots had done brought it back into balance. Who blew up an entire planet? They outnumbered the Decepticons so why not fight until they reclaimed it, especially considering the vast resources at stake?

Still more unbelievable was the information regarding Scourge, Starscream and Unicron. Scourge attacked his own kind then ran away only to claim it was because he was possessed by the seeker's ghost? And then the idea of connecting Unicron's head to Cybertron? What the fuck? It was a damn good thing for all of them that hadn't happened. But was Starscream actually ever a ghost at all? Cyclonus clearly doubted it, describing the way he had seen the former Air Commander go spinning out of control into deep space.

"And no one went after him?" Stormvolt asked.

"To what end? Why would we want that disgrace in our midst again?"

"True." And it was certainly poetic justice, considering what he'd done not that long ago. But once again, it confused her further. Scourge claimed to have been possessed, much the same way Galvatron told her Cyclonus had been possessed. This suggested the tyrant wasn't as crazy as she first thought. He was out of his mind for certain, but it could be he wasn't delusional. That or Scourge was a huge liar.

"Did you know him well?"

"Starscream? You could say that but we weren't friendly or anything."

"What about the other seekers?" He hadn't been curious about her personal life until he realized what he was feeling. The problem of Thrust could be dealt with easily enough but if he had to compete with a deactivated bondmate, that would be a much harder obstacle to overcome, though it wouldn't stop him from trying.

"Dirge and Ramjet I knew but we didn't associate much outside of missions. They and Thrust mostly kept to themselves," she said, picking up a handful of loose rocks and tossing them into the blackness, not noticing that Cyclonus had stopped staring off into the night and was watching her while he waited on her answers. Who cared about them? She was taking forever to get to the part he was really concerned with: the mechs she had appeared the most upset about.

"And the other two?" He prompted.

The femme shot him a strange look that was wondering rather than annoyed.

"Thundercracker was a dear friend. He was probably the most sensible 'Con I knew and one of the best fliers ever."

The mech said nothing, although he could plainly see that it was hard for her to discuss this. He wasn't happy about putting her through it, but it was driving him crazy. He had to know.

"Skywarp was…." Man, it hurt to talk about these guys.

Cyclonus could feel himself tensing up in anticipation of the answer he didn't want. Just get on with it!

"He was my best friend. I miss him every day. Thundercracker too."

Stop stalling and ask the question, the mech thought. The femme obviously wasn't going to supply the answer any other way. "Were the two of you a bonded pair?"

"That's a little personal, don't you think? But no. It wasn't _that_ kind of relationship." She knew about spark bonding and what it meant. In the old days it would have been physically impossible even if they'd been so inclined, which of course they weren't. Nowhere close. Cyclonus would have no clue about that, however. "Why do you ask?"

"I was curious."

"Right, but why are you so curious?"

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

While returning from another Ranazite delivery, Deadend was surprised to be joined by Vortex. Motormaster wanted to see him, Vortex had said, and then instructed him to make sure no one knew he was going out there. There wasn't a chance to ask any questions. The Combaticon abruptly left, stirring up a lot of dust as he did so. Great. Now his intake filters felt like they were packed full of crud, but that repair would have to wait until after he found out what Motormaster wanted.

xxx

"All you have to do is make nice with Rumble. Act like he's your best friend. Find out what he knows. I'll tell you what to do next when the time is right. Got it?"

"I don't know if this is such a good idea," said Deadend.

"I didn't ask you what you thought," Motormaster replied. The two Stunticons were alone at the guard post. "And it should be easy. The little slaggers have been hanging around with you anyway haven't they?"

"Yeah, but I was thinking more about the stealing part."

"Don't worry about that either. Vortex has it covered. You hardly have to alter your routine at all. Business as usual. Nobody will have any idea of what's going on."

The other mech shrugged noncommittally and said nothing.

"You'd better get out of here before someone sees you."

"Alright."

Deadend transformed and headed back to the mine. Arguing with his group leader was pointless, much like this entire ridiculous plot. Did Motormaster honestly think that he'd get away with it? Surely not. Of course he could deny any knowledge of the scheme if Deadend and Vortex were to get caught. And what purpose would cultivating a friendship with Rumble do? He didn't care for being left in the dark, but maybe it was better that way. The less he knew the less upset he'd be when the whole thing inevitably came crashing down.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

On the battlefield, Cyclonus was used to taking the defensive position regularly, but this was different. He was counting on having surprise on his side. He was going to strike by stating his intent when the femme wouldn't see it coming. But now she was sitting there watching him and demanding an answer. He would press forward with the attack. But why was it so hard? This was stupid. He would do what he came here to do. If she accepted as he hoped then wonderful. And why shouldn't she? He was bigger, stronger, faster and smarter than any of the others (except for Galvatron.) But if for whatever reason she did not, he wouldn't plead his case. No, then he would have to resort to subtler tactics but there would be no begging.

The seeker patiently waited. What was his problem? He asks all these questions then wouldn't tell her why. Instead he was sitting there as though lost in thought. She thought she heard a certain raspy, amused chuckle in her mind. Great. Never around when I need you, only when it suits your purpose.

Finally the second in command scooted to the side a bit and turned to face her. He was backlit by the red moon and his optics repeated the pattern, though they were starting to flare. It made for a spooky image.

"Stormvolt, I would like to be the exclusive recipient of your intimate companionship. And of course you alone would have mine in return."

Exclusive recipient of her…. What the hell was he talking about?

The mech had his normal, slightly annoyed but aloof expression. As with any of them, the only thing that gave a hint of a different emotional climate was the way his optics were much brighter than before.

She definitely heard the laugh. _**How can you can be as intelligent as you are and yet so incredibly dense at the same time?**_

Care to explain?

**_He _likes_ you._**

Of course he likes me. Why wouldn't…. Then the teasing, mocking tone the voice used for the key word sunk in. Ohhhhhhh.

_**Yes. Romantic isn't it? **_The voice said, with distaste. _**But the important question is: What will **_**you**_** say?**_

Words failed her. What indeed?


	21. Decisions, Decisions

Author's note: This chapter is shorter than what I usually post. What happens here didn't really go with the last one and it I don't like it added to what's coming. Next time I promise there will be a whole lot of action and the usual size. Thanks for reading and commenting and c2s. Transformers belongs to Hasbro and Takara.

xxx

A Blessing and A Curse  
By: Quetzal1

Chapter 20  
Decisions, Decisions

xxx

Stormvolt was subjected to a lot of pick up lines over the years before her life underwent its radical change. Some were creative others were unspeakably lame, and then there were a few that merited a kick to the stones ('Hey, baby, wanna fuck?') if it wouldn't have caused more trouble than it was worth. But on all those occasions she'd never heard it phrased quite like the mech had put it. As far as come-ons went (if that's what it was) it was certainly the most polite ever. But politeness aside, the seeker was starting to feel mildly freaked out. Could robots have panic attacks?

**_You didn't panic as a human or later after you changed and not even when you had to fight that Sharkticon to the death, but _this_ distresses you?_**

Hell, yes! I don't know what to do! What is he talking about exactly?

_**Settle down. Obviously, the first thing you should do is ask him his intent. This isn't that difficult.**_

What if he's just looking for a good time?

**_Doubtful. When have you ever known him to do anything strictly for pleasurable purposes? And what if he was? You can always say 'no,' although you _could_ stand to relax a little._**

That first part was true. Cyclonus was devoid of hedonistic tendencies. He was all business 24/7. It was a calming realization until she thought about the alternative. What if he was skipping all the build up and was talking about being bonded? He had shown interest in her past in that regard, asking if she'd been Megatron's consort and most recently the questions regarding her old friends. What if she'd stumbled onto the way he was as screwy as the others? But either way would it really be as simple as refusing? The mech was not a quitter and didn't like his goals being thwarted, but then again, interfacing or bonding couldn't be forced. Whatever her answer, it wasn't like he could jump her on the spot. Alright, he could, but it wouldn't do any good if she didn't feel like giving it up. Then an odd idea occurred: what _would_ it be like? She had an understanding of the mechanics of both things, but of course hadn't experienced either. All she knew was that it was extremely different from anything she'd done as a human.

_**I daresay you'd like it. And before you stray off into that nonsense again, let me remind you that you wouldn't have to be concerned with any of those ridiculous human notions of morality.**_

True. Cybertronian culture was totally different. The frequency with which one had interfaced didn't cast any stigma (with whom might be a different story however,) and there was no double standard for mechs and femmes. Maybe best of all it was regarded as a private matter if it was done with any degree of seriousness and he was talking exclusivity both ways, which inferred that he wasn't playing.

Cyclonus was still watching and waiting for a response. As planned he caught her off guard, so he would allow a bit longer before he started pressing for an answer. The uncertainty was excruciating despite his preparing for various outcomes. But he expected it, noticing early on that she would often pause to consider when confronted by something new or unexpected.

_**It could be to your advantage to have the second in command smitten with you.**_

Like I care about that. You know I'm not a social climber.

_**No. You really should develop more ambition.**_

Let's work on the current issue first, okay?

_**If the proper conditions were met, would you accept?**_

Uh… good question. She did like him, although had never considered him in a romantic sense beyond thinking he had the hots for Galvatron. So much had happened and was ongoing still that such an ordinary idea hadn't occurred to her. She glanced over at the mech who was still watching her closely. He wasn't like any of the others, but had his positive and negative points.

The voice evidently took the thought as a cue to start playing devil's advocate.

_**He is fanatically loyal to Galvatron. He also has shot you repeatedly and was going to pistol whip you that one time.**_

If I were a mech he wouldn't have done anything differently. You know as well as I that there are no distinctions made that way. Femmes do not warrant any special treatment in this society, one of the aspects I like, actually. As for the fanaticism, you yourself said I'm supposed to protect Galvatron so having a fanatic on my side could be a good thing.

_**He is controlling and possessive. You will notice that he doesn't like you speaking with Thrust.**_

Ah ha, jealousy! Of course! That will have to be an issue that gets addressed, though. Nobody is going to dictate my friends. Next.

_**He looks ridiculous with those big pointed things sticking out of his head. And that paint scheme isn't something to be proud of.**_

That's all you can come up with? And he's not ridiculous looking. Those are necessitated by his design, and I like them. There's nothing wrong with his paint either. And let me say his alt mode is pretty sharp before you attack that too.

The voice chuckled in a self-satisfied way before continuing. _**It would seem to me you know what you want to do already. Why else would you argue this hard?**_

She hated when it felt like the voice tricked her into proving a point in its favor. But he could be right. It would be a new experience for sure.

"Cyclonus?"

"Yes?"

"What do you mean by 'intimate companionship'?"

He stared at her blankly for a moment. "I am speaking of the sort of interactions that take place when one is considering someone as a mate, potentially," he said, as though anyone should know this.

Potential mate? He was definitely serious then, but confirmation never hurt. "So you aren't talking about say, interfacing purely for the sake of pleasure?"

"No, certainly not. That would be a meaningless pursuit that served no useful purpose," the mech replied, almost insulted.

_**There's your answer. Now what?**_

Are you for this or against it? I can't tell.

_**Does it matter?**_

If the voice knew something about this that would indicate a danger to her (and by extension it,) it would surely tell her. Most likely it was disgusted by the whole idea. She glanced over at the mech again. He was still watching her, and waiting patiently. RRRGGGHHH! She felt like she was chasing her tail. The idea of them as a pair was becoming intriguing, but what did she know about him and what was he expecting?

"What happens if there are…I don't know…compatibility issues? Then what?"

"Naturally occurring differences that create problems which could not be resolved would usually result in termination of that aspect of the relationship."

"In other words, if we tried, and it didn't work out, then we'd just stop that and revert back to the way things were prior?"

"Correct."

That was good to hear but she couldn't imagine anyone taking a breakup that easily. Of course he wasn't the most emotional 'Con around. But none of these guys was without feelings. Granted sometimes they were mostly bad ones but she had been around them enough to see plenty of examples of the other variety too. What if it turned into love? She had no argument against it, even if it was extremely hard to imagine.

Cyclonus couldn't stand it any longer. "What is your decision?" That it was taking her so long was disconcerting.

"You intend to take the process slowly, right?"

"Of course. There is still much for both of us to learn about one another." Why did his reply make her suddenly appear relieved?

_**Ahhh. Very clever.**_

Pardon?

_**You were getting ahead of yourself with all those trivial concerns. This was only a preemptive strike. He is merely securing your attentions. Laying claim, if you will.**_

"Hey, if I agree you don't think that makes me your property do you?"

"Why would I think that?" How did she get these irrationalities?

The femme shrugged. You were saying?

_**Oh whatever. Are you going to make him wait all night?**_

"Well?" Cyclonus asked. He didn't understand why she was coming up with all the bizarre questions, but again, it wasn't entirely unexpected. He was fully prepared for a lot of those in his future.

In essence, all he was asking from her was to, to put it in high school terms, 'go together.' If it didn't work, they would pretend like it didn't happen which was probably easier said than done, but what wasn't? Please don't let this be a super bad idea, the seeker thought. "Okay…yes."

The mech looked faintly surprised. He was fully expecting rejection and already planning his next move. "Excellent," he said with a smile that was far different from his usual smirk.

Now what? He wasn't going to kiss her. They didn't communicate affection with a lot of physical gestures as humans did. It was a known fact that they found the way most organics expressed love and reproduced to be extremely disgusting.

"We should be getting back," Cyclonus said, standing and then offering his hand to her. He would have to note the lunar cycles here. The red tinted moonlight lent an appropriate mood to these interactions.

That's it? Unquestionably she had been far too worried. "Yes. I want to get that capacitor in and rewire a couple of the circuits," she said. As she got to her feet the mech placed his free hand on the underside of her forearm to help steady her and then gently caressed it as he let go. This gesture did not go unnoticed. He was giving her that look again, too. Underneath that stern exterior who knew what kind of ardor lurked? And a touch like that on wings wouldn't be a bad thing at all, she thought, remembering the application of her insignia. Great. Now _that_ was going to be on her mind.

_**And so it begins. Appalling.**_

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"And then they went out ta get parts," Rumble said, giving Soundwave a brief summary of events.

Stormvolt had invited him along, but judging from the daggers Cyclonus was staring at him from behind her, it felt smarter to decline. First he scares Thrust away and then the evil optic gets put on him. What was that guy's problem? The small 'bot was too tired to give it much thought and had gone back to the mine to catch a short recharge in an out of the way corner before Ravage found him and delivered Soundwave's summons.

"Have you seen any of the Combaticons or Stunticons in that area?" Soundwave asked.

"Nope. Nobody except who I told you about."

Deadend was long overdue. He left to take another batch of Ranazite to Shockwave and had yet to return. That would bear further investigation.

"If you don't need me, I'm gonna go see what Frenzy's up to," Rumble said.

"Affirmative," Soundwave replied.

xxxxx

"Mister Science! You look half scrapped," said Frenzy upon seeing his twin. Their standard greetings were always smart remarks, occasionally covering concern.

"You're just jealous. And for the record, I _feel_ half scrapped." Rumble replied, plunking himself down on the ground tiredly. He had located his red counterpart outside in the shallowest part of the original trench.

"So what's with all that?" Frenzy asked, gesturing at the soot marks on Rumble's armor.

"Heh. You've missed some good explosions."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah! There was this one that…"

"Rumble, old buddy! Where have you been?" Deadend interrupted. He had returned as quietly as he could. Hopefully, no one noticed he was gone longer than usual. Right away he spotted his target. Might as well start this so he could get it over with.

Old buddy? The small mech wasn't anyone's 'old buddy.' He was only being friendly with him on Soundwave's orders. And what was the deal with the Stunticon's awkward exuberance? He glanced over at Frenzy whose shrug in response was nearly imperceptible.

"What's happenin' Deadend?"

"Back and forth, over and over again. What have you been doing?"

"I got tagged to go help make energon."

"Any luck?"

"Not yet."

"That figures. How far have you gotten?"

This was weird. Usually if he wasn't spreading his doom and gloom, Deadend didn't show much interest in anything. What was he up to? "Not very. We've blown up a lot of scrounged parts, but that's about it." Best to not tell him too much at all.

"Sounds like things are going about the same as they always do."

From the shadows in a deeper part of the trench, Soundwave listened closely. Rumble was hedging on the Stunticon and doing a good job. His telepathy already told him that Deadend had recently spoken with Vortex and Motormaster. That would explain his tardiness. He couldn't tell what they had discussed specifically, but the clumsy display before him would suggest the other two had a special interest in the converter. Those who knew of his telepathic abilities assumed that he was able to rifle through their processors and find out whatever he wanted to know at will, and he did nothing to dispel the idea. He could feel emotions of others without even trying, a talent which would be overwhelming in stressful situations if he didn't have the discipline to be able to block them for long periods. Except in the case of organic creatures, the truth was, he got mainly the generalizations of thoughts and they gave away the rest themselves through their actions. Not his cassettes though. As he watched Rumble lie and avoid giving Deadend useful information, he felt a sense of pride at both their skills. In Rumble's absence, Frenzy would no doubt pick right up with the non-answers and lies.

"So what's the femme like to work with?" Deadend asked, changing the subject but hoping that it would lead to information on whatever they'd been doing.

"Pffft. You know how seekers are," Rumble replied dismissively. He wasn't going to be any more helpful than he had to. Stormvolt had enough problems with that creepy Cyclonus and Galvatron. He couldn't see adding on more.

"Yeah, do I ever."

"I'd better be getting back. I don't want 'em to come lookin' for me," Rumble said. "See you guys later," he added, giving Frenzy a nudge in the shoulder as he got up.

His twin nodded slightly, acknowledging the signal, before replying: "Try not to blow yourself up." Frenzy had picked up on the strange behavior right away. Deadend would need special attention from now on.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The garbage covered asteroid was becoming very popular it seemed. Lately there was a lot of activity there, which made it a wonderful hunting ground. The likelihood of collecting suitable specimens was greater than it had ever been. In addition, there was the question of why all the frequent visits and what was being constructed with the pilfered items. First was the easy part, seeding the area with traps. Next would be the capture followed by experimentation. The test subject or subjects would be able to provide the reasons for the visits and what was being done with the parts. If they refused (and perhaps if they didn't) then came the most fun one could possibly have: Torture.


	22. Uninvited Guests

Author's note: Here you go. The last chapter was shorter than normal, this one is huge. Thanks for reading and commenting and favorite-ing and everything. Transformers belongs to Hasbro and Takara.

A Blessing and A Curse  
By: Quetzal1

Chapter 21  
Uninvited Guests

xxx

The energon listlessly dripped from the outflow pipe. It glowed brightly as two Decepticons observed it from their hiding place behind an overturned table on the other side of the room.

"I think we're okay," Stormvolt said, peering over the top edge as Rumble viewed the scene from around the table's side. The new, larger converter had started to vibrate and make ominous noises as they stood alongside it waiting to see if the new parts would help. Rumble had pressed the shutoff button but the noises hadn't subsided. Fearing another explosion, only bigger, the pair had leaped across the room, knocking the table over as they went. The pressure readout was now showing zeroes and the sounds had stopped. It was safe.

Rumble quickly went back to the device and crouched beside the cube they had optimistically placed beneath the outflow. The viscous energon dangling there stretched several inches then lost its grip and fell into the cube with a quiet 'splat' the process slowly repeated.

"I dare ya to try it," the mech said mischievously.

"What are you, high? I'm not trying that."

"Ah, where's your sense of adventure?"

"I don't call having blocked energon conduits an adventure." The femme was tracing the flow backward until she found an answer for the pressure loss that prevented the explosion. "Here we go again."

"What now?" This was as close to success as they'd come. The usual detonation had been avoided and there was energon coming from the converter. Kind of.

"Filters," she said, holding up a metal housing with a small crack in it. "This is where all the pressure bled off from. It's a good thing you killed it when you did because this was ready to blow and set off the rest probably."

"So now what do we do?"

"I don't know. If we put another one on the same thing will happen."

"What if it was bigger?"

"Bigger, yeah. And more of them with progressively better filtering material inside as they went," the femme said, musing to herself the way she did when trying to figure out a difficult problem. She'd been doing a lot of it on this project. "Of course then we'll need more lines to connect them."

"Let's go find 'em. I could stand ta get away from here for a while," Rumble said.

"Hang on, I have to get someone to go with us."

"Why?"

"Because I'm not supposed to go places like that on my own. Too much bullshit I don't know about."

"Says who? And besides, ya wouldn't be alone," the pale blue mech said, annoyed.

"I didn't mean it like that. I've seen you in action, you're a holy terror." The mech was pleased at this assessment. "But Cyclonus doesn't know you like I do, and I don't really care to explain it to him if we took off and got caught, you know?"

"Yeah, I can see your point I guess. I wouldn't want that creepy glitch mad at me either. But what does he care what you do?"

"Oh, he thinks I'm actually doing Galvatron some good and doesn't want to take any chances on jeopardizing that," she replied, leaving out another, probable reason.

"What _are_ you doin' when you have to go hang out with Galvatron? If you don't mind my askin'."

"That's just it. Nothing. I listen to him bitch and try to keep him from totally flying off the handle and shooting me, or whatever. I don't do anything special." It was too soon to tell what else was happening. So many secrets to keep.

"That's all?"

"Yup. Crazy huh?"

"Now and then I wonder what would've happened with Starscream as leader. It couldn't have been worse." Rumble said.

"I don't know about that, but let me call and get someone and we'll go."

"Sure, but see if you can get somebody, you know, normal."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Mixmaster was a genius of a chemist and thoroughly resented being made to do manual labor. If one had polled every Decepticon present, not one of them would have said the task was worthy of their personal attention. Nevertheless, it did nothing to improve his temperament. Astrotrain was nearby and in an equally foul mood. In addition to feeling the task was beneath him, he didn't care for being below ground. His spacecraft alt mode had seen much more use lately than his train engine mode and so the flier parts of his personality became more dominant. Being down there in the dark made him uneasy and tense. Both mechs were using makeshift tools to extract Ranazite from a wide vein in the wall. But eventually they got too close to each other.

"Watch what you're doing!" Mixmaster said, when a chunk of stone flew up and hit him in the head.

"Maybe you should pay attention," Astrotrain replied, as he spared the Constructicon a hateful glance.

"Maybe _you_ should shut up."

"Want to try and make me?"

Everyone within hearing distance stopped what they were doing to check out the developments. It had been a while since there'd been a good fight. No one noticed the lone Sweep silently exit the chamber. He was supposed to be keeping an eye on things and should have intervened, but of the three Sweeps he was not the bravest. Cowardly, however, was not synonymous with stupid. He was aware of the many differences between those of Unicronian origin and the rest. He knew the other Decepticons were aware of these differences too and it didn't foster the warmest of regards. In short, if he took the initiative and tried to head off the impending clash, the participants might well turn on him and the others could join in. Scrap that, he'd get help first.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"And that's when I got out of there," Scourge said, finishing his story. He hadn't minded coming out to the asteroid. Cyclonus would have done it, but evidently there was some kind of fight erupting at the mine and the second in command couldn't resist the urge to quell it himself and probably as violently as possible. One would think those lazy good for nothings would have learned by now.

"Do you think Unicron really gave him his old body?" Stormvolt asked. The whole idea of ghosts had never completely left her mind. Why not ask the target of the alleged specter about it? She wasn't sure he'd tell her a lot since he never had much to say ordinarily, but now she was beginning to wonder if she'd ever shut him up again.

"Wouldn't surprise me. There's no end to what that thing could do."

"I wonder if it's dead now," she said, examining an object and then pulling out its contents. The innards of the box could easily have been mistaken for a giant pad of steel wool and might make good filter material.

"I don't know and I'm not going to go find out either."

Scourge was only too happy to repeat his tale to someone who wasn't exuding doubt before he was a few sentences in to it. The femme interrupted occasionally to ask questions and if she wasn't satisfied with the answers, gave no indication. As far as he knew, he still wasn't supposed to tell her much. Cyclonus hadn't rescinded that particular order although he did appear to like her better than he had initially. That was certainly because of the whole issue of Galvatron. The hunter would agree on that count. The beating he received for the Starscream/Unicron incident wasn't as bad as others he had witnessed for lesser offenses and not long ago he would have been expecting much worse including termination. In fact, the tyrant came across as angrier over the fact that the dead seeker had escaped again rather than what Scourge had perpetrated.

Nearby, Rumble was working at freeing a bundle of high pressure lines from a twisted piece of wreckage and casually listening to the discussion. Ghosts? Wasn't that great? First he had to be bossed around by what he considered not much better than zombies and now one of them claimed there was a ghost around. And being dead probably hadn't made ol' Screamer any more pleasant than he'd been before. His feelings of unease only intensified when he heard the change of subject.

"So you've been with Galvatron and Cyclonus a while?" Stormvolt asked.

"From the beginning."

"What were you guys doing before you took over?"

This was definitely territory that qualified as off limits. "I thought you were here to find parts, not conduct an interrogation."

"Have it your way," she said, turning her back on him and going on with the search. That was twice from two different mechs that she'd had that question avoided now. It was becoming a pattern.

It wasn't the most graceful avoidance ever but it was successful, Scourge thought. They'd been out on the asteroid for a while. It was huge and he hoped they wouldn't have to search the whole thing to find the required items. He began to wander around, kicking at the debris in hopes of finding more of what they were after. A good sized pile was taking shape as the seeker and the runt were tossing what they wanted to take in a small area that they cleared earlier. He booted aside a crumpled piece of steel and discovered something interesting. It was a spherical object with a shiny surface. Had he been familiar with Earth gardening, he would have likened it to a gold colored gazing ball, except for the slowly blinking light on the top. He was no engineer but was curious nonetheless. Was this item useful? He leaned closer and gently poked at it with the barrel of his blaster rifle.

xxx

Rumble was visibly startled when Scourge cried out. The small mech had managed to work himself into a low grade case of the surges by thinking about the dead and the possibly not so dead. He was examining a casing that would be a good candidate for conversion to a first stage filter but dropped it with a crash when he heard the surprised and pained wail. He and the femme looked at one another for a second and then ran to investigate.

"Scourge?" Stormvolt called.

"It came from over…there he is!" Rumble said, pointing but making no move forward.

The mech was face down and not moving, save for when the wires he was ensnared in sparked as they delivered a shock.

"What's that?" The femme asked, going airborne to investigate. She saw the sparks and knew from her own mistakes to be suspended in midair when dealing with something like this.

Rumble followed, maintaining a safer distance. He scanned for any signs of life forms nearby and came up with nothing but his companions. They didn't seem to be under attack. It could be that whatever it was had been here for ages.

Getting closer they could see that Scourge was indeed tangled, but it wasn't wires, it was a net made of heavy cables. Several of the strands ran back to a shiny hemisphere that was still very much operational, if the blinking readout was any indication.

"If we got rid of this first, maybe we could remove the net without hurting him more." Stormvolt said, leaning down to retrieve the object, taking extra care to keep herself from touching the ground or any of the cables. She could easily absorb a shock, but what if this was different from ordinary electricity? "Is he still alive?"

"Yeah, I think it just knocked him offline."

Much to her dismay, the cables were extremely tough and would not pull free. In fact, messing with them only caused it to deliver shocks with increased frequency.

"We can't get him loose with that thing still attached." She had dropped it in an effort to avoid any more harm to their escort.

"I have an idea," Rumble said, drifting over to an ancient power cell that must have been embedded there for years. He wrested it free from the surface and brought it over to the target. It was extremely heavy as evidenced by how much lower the mech was hovering. "When it doubt, smash it to bits."

The cell hit the control apparatus and then slid off on its side. Success! The femme reached down and freed the cable ends from the crushed remains of its power supply. The pair tried to remove the net only to make more discoveries.

"I can't get it free," the seeker said, pulling at the thick cables to no avail. "It's like it's magnetized but only to him."

"Some of 'em are spiked into the ground over here."

"Watch out,"

Rumble stood back and viewed things from a safer distance as she carefully grabbed onto the loose ends and moved away as far as possible before firing both engines and pulling straight up. Two of the many spikes popped free before she had to stop.

"Damn! I can't keep my grip on it," the flier swore as she rubbed her hands.

"Ya got a couple of them," the mech said, holding up two long and wickedly barbed spikes.

"That's it?! I was pulling as hard as I could."

"It's a start. We could try ta pry 'em out instead."

"Good idea. Have you seen anything like this before?" She asked, already searching for an object to use as a crowbar.

"No…but I have a guess where it came from," said Rumble staring up.

The seeker glanced at him when he didn't offer clarification and then followed his gaze. It was what she surmised must be a ship, although it more resembled the thing in the middle of a washing machine that stirred the clothes around. The proper name escaped her. "What is it?"

"Let's get out of sight!" Rumble ran for a slight rise above the area where Scourge was still trapped. Stormvolt followed closely. She had never seen him show anything close to fear before and it disturbed her greatly. The pair crouched behind more debris as the seeker pulled a large, nearby section of sheet metal over them for further concealment.

The ship was freakishly quiet as it landed. For several long moments nothing happened then a door slid open as a ramp descended to the surface. The two Decepticons watched closely. A pair of creatures that were different from, but appeared somehow related to, Sharkticons came out and stood on either side of the ramp at the bottom. They were armed with spears and blaster rifles and gave the impression of being much more aware than any Sharkticon. That was nothing next to what followed. A tentacled…thing emerged from the ship and glided down to join its escort as two more of the strange mechs followed.

"Shit! What is that in the middle?" Stormvolt whispered, revolted.

"I think it's a Quintesson, only usually they have five faces. Those others are Allicons."

At last the mystery was finally solved. That repulsive looking thing was a Quintesson. The best analogy she could come up with was that it had a body like a light bulb or upside down pear. And on either side of the narrow part was a set of long tentacles matching the shorter fringe of them that hung from the bottom and surrounded a glowing base. It was predominantly green and had those odd facial attachments like Scourge and the Sweeps that resembled facial hair. Gross though it may have been, it didn't appear so tough. The tentacles would suggest it was bio-mechanical. It was much smaller than the Allicons who themselves were about the same size as Sharkticons. Viewing them thoroughly and knowing their name suggested their alt mode would be similar to an alligator (naturally,) although Sharkticons resembled piranha when you got down to it. The entire group was headed right for Scourge.

"Excellent!" the Quintesson exclaimed. "Quickly, get him aboard the ship and into the containment unit."

Two of the Allicons produced tools that allowed them to sever the cables with ease while their fellows stood by with weapons at the ready. Their master was eagerly hovering close to his newly caught specimen, tentacles constantly in motion. A Decepticon, and one of Unicronian origin. These were special. By dissecting and reverse engineering it, they could learn how to create soldiers with far greater capability than any they had at their disposal now and ones that would allow them to retake Cybertron and reassert their supremacy over their creations. After the full battery of experiments, of course.

"They're going to take Scourge."

"Sounds like it," Rumble agreed.

"What do we do?"

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Cyclonus' earlier good mood was gone. He had been reflecting that these might be the best few days he'd had since they were forced from Cybertron. Galvatron was still behaving in a fairly rational manner, mining operations were going as planned, and Stormvolt had consented to his attentions. Yes, things were in fine shape. He was standing outside awaiting the return of Scourge from the outlying guard posts. The tracker was more subdued than usual since the business with Paradron. Perhaps he was feeling guilt over his recent actions. It was hard to discern what exactly he had occupying his processors sometimes.

The femme had called him, it was the first he had heard from her since they had returned to Chaar two days ago. He would have liked nothing better than to go with her, but as he was about to reply, a Sweep emerged from the trench and began urgently motioning him closer. There was a squabble below the surface that needed tending to. He had reluctantly called Scourge and assigned the task of component locating to him. It was disappointing, but there was no good reason to hold up progress because of his personal desires. Why make them wait while the other problem was dealt with?

The squabble nearly turned into an all out riot, but fortunately the parties involved were not their old selves. Though their hostility had grown, their skill had declined. Cyclonus was disappointed. He had summoned the other two Sweeps and the four of them entered the cavern to discover that Astrotrain and Mixmaster were indeed in the middle of a skirmish and little by little the other mechs were getting involved. There were even a couple of Constructicons about to turn on each other. Only Soundwave remained apart. He was, however, keeping a watchful optic on Frenzy who had come to the assistance of Deadend when Bonecrusher decided to jump him, all in the name of keeping up the façade of friendship. If the petite mech were to need help, unlikely though it was in this case, it would be provided with deadly accuracy.

The Sweeps stood there unsure of how to proceed. One of them finally aimed a weapon.

"No. They must remain functional and you three need practice anyway," Cyclonus said, pushing the barrel of the laser down. "Let's go."

It did not take long to settle things. The second in command was appalled by how easy it was. Two unarmed Sweeps could have handled this themselves. How did they ever rule Cybertron if this was the best they could do? It wasn't hard to see why they had lost it. He felt like beating them again for being such poor combatants. But no. That would be yet more productivity lost.

Now he was standing before the group of mechs and couldn't contain his disgust any longer.

"You should all consider yourselves fortunate not to be dismantled on the spot. I suspect a group of _humans _could put up a better fight than you."

No one argued. They still had enough common sense for that.

"Never, _never_ have I seen such a poor example of…" The mech stopped in mid sentence and suddenly appeared to be concentrating. "Do not engage them," he said quietly. His communicator had spared the others his withering tirade. "If it cannot be avoided then have Scourge handle it." There was silence except for the faint metallic scraping sounds of the others checking themselves over for damage. Soundwave found it more difficult trying to read Cyclonus and Scourge, nonetheless he was getting a bad feeling from the other mech as he spoke with whoever had contacted him.

"I see. I will be there immediately," he said and then went airborne before motioning to the Sweeps. "You three, come with me. Soundwave, take command of these wrecks."

xxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Help is on the way," said Stormvolt.

"I don't think they'll get here quick enough." Rumble said.

"Yeah, we have to stop those guys, or slow them down."

"How?" The whole situation wasn't a problem for him. Scourge wouldn't be missed.

"I don't know, but let's get the drop on them now. When they see how we smashed that one part, they'll know we're here."

xxx

The Quintesson scientist was feeling pleased with himself but that changed when he noticed that the trap's power supply was destroyed. There was no way his captive could have done it. The initial shock would have him offline for quite a while and then whenever he moved the sensors in it would deliver another lesser charge. No, there was at least one other and they would be close. There hadn't been time between when the trap activated to now for anyone to get far. As he was about to inform the others, purple laser fire sliced through the air hitting two of the Allicons and knocking them down. The other two that were cutting the net free from the spikes didn't have a chance to grab the blasters they'd laid on the ground nearby.

"Get your hands up now or else!" A voice ordered. The Quintesson glanced up to see two 'bots approaching cautiously. This was certainly his day for rare finds. Now he would have a seeker femme to go with his Unicronian subject. The small one could be used for spare parts.

Stormvolt noticed that the nasty tentacled thing apparently didn't feel obligated to co-operate. Being ignored made her more angry than nervous.

_**You are a Decepticon and indisputably the master of this situation. Act like it.**_

"_I SAID GET YOUR HANDS UP OR I'LL BLOW YOU THE FUCK AWAY! I AM _NOT_ TELLING YOU AGAIN!"_ The femme bellowed, and then for emphasis shot one of the Allicons that was starting to get up. He wouldn't be doing that again without major repairs. "Grab their weapons," she said to Rumble in a completely normal tone. The mech quickly collected the spears and blasters while staying as far away from the prisoners as possible. She wasn't one to yell or order him around or threaten to kill anyone. What had come over her?

"There's no need for violence," the Quintesson said in a calming voice. A new challenge! He and his ilk loved to succeed by treachery instead of force whenever possible. What fun was a superior intellect if it wasn't used in all possible ways?

"That's up to you, now isn't it?" Stormvolt replied.

"You misunderstand our intentions."

"This thing isn't yours?"

"It belongs to us, but we were trying to capture any existing wildlife that may be present here. It was merely an unfortunate accident that your friend was caught."

_**I believe he thinks only half of your processors are operational.**_

"An accident you say. That makes sense except for your finding it 'excellent' and wanting to put him in your containment unit. That does not sound very accidental to me."

"I was pleased that the device had operated correctly. It's a new design. And we were going to place him in the containment unit because when he rebooted, he could be confused at first which would make him dangerous."

_**What an artless little liar.**_

It was most peculiar, the Quintesson thought. The more he tried to explain, the angrier the femme's expression became. Apparently she was well aware of past incidents. The odds of this ending the way he wanted were starting to decrease.

"And what sort of _wildlife_ were you hoping to capture?"

She didn't hear the majority of the long rambling answer.

_**Disgusting.**_

Agreed.

_**Don't you resent tolerating such a level of disrespect? This insignificant creature has the arrogance to detain one of you and then stand there and lie poorly about it with no fear at all.**_

Yes, I am pretty sick of it. Before the words were thought the old, familiar out of herself feeling was starting to return.

_**There is no end to this insult. He should be begging your forgiveness.**_

Yeah, actually. This creep hadn't apologized. Of course that would be a lie, but he's not even making a suitable effort in that. What nerve.

_**You know what to do with someone like this. Show him the errors of his ways.**_

Rumble was casually destroying the captured weapons while watching the exchange between his friend and the Quintesson. Those freaks. There was nothing alive on this rock to capture, other than visitors like themselves. Stormvolt looked pissed. The more that thing went on, the brighter her optics started to burn. He tossed away the crumpled blaster and bent down to pick up a spear.

"SILENCE!"

The mech jerked and immediately peered up. The femme was standing there, right leg slightly forward and the right arm mounted cannon pointed at the Quintesson. Her free hand was crunched into a fist and resting on her hip. She had an expression of utter loathing on her face that he'd never seen on her, but he'd seen it elsewhere, just like that stance. Oh yeah. And then when she spoke again….

"How dare you stand there and lie to me this way! Tell the truth. You were going to make Scourge your prisoner and perform all manner of appalling scientific perversions on him, weren't you?"

Her voice had gotten lower and gravelly and each word was enunciated precisely. She still sounded like a femme but not by much, and not like herself at all. If he'd had skin, Rumble would have been covered in goose bumps.

xxxxx

Sandstorm hadn't been with the Autobots long. The destruction of Paradron brought him back to his native planet. As much as he'd enjoyed living in the idyllic environment, he had never thought they should be totally without weapons and ended up being proven correct in the worse possible way. Upon return to Cybertron he had immediately joined with the others. No more neutrality for him. His new position had placed him with Springer and Arcee on a small cruiser doing survey work. A lot had changed while they were gone. On the way back, sensors had alerted them to the action taking place on Asteroid Beta 179, as they had designated it.

"Can you get a better view?" Springer asked.

"Hang on one second…there!" Sandstorm said, quickly making adjustments on the console in front of him.

The view on the large screen zoomed in to reveal the trio of Decepticons with the Quintesson and his minions.

"What do you think is going on here?" Springer asked. He recognized the Decepticons but it was obvious from the way Scourge was trapped and how Stormvolt and Rumble were brandishing weapons that this wasn't a friendly meeting.

"What is that?" Sandstorm asked.

"The one with the tentacles is called a Quintesson. There aren't many of them, but they're extremely dangerous," said Arcee. "Worse than Decepticons, these days."

"It doesn't look like it from here."

"Wait. Something will happen."

xxxxx

"You misjudge me," the Quintesson objected. The green appendages were flipping about wildly. It gave the impression of being scared but it also masked when he tapped a button on his torso, activating a signal that functioned as a summons.

"I think it's you who has misjudged us if you think we can be tricked so easily."

Rumble had been watching this exchange raptly but then his communicator activated.

"_Rumble, report."_ Soundwave ordered. The last known location for his cassette was with the femme. What if it was she who had summoned Cyclonus? He had departed with haste and an expression promising trouble for someone. Better to check and know for sure, though there wasn't much he could do to help from his present location.

"I'm fine."

"_Where are you? What is happening?"_

"I'm on the garbage asteroid. And uhhhh…I'm not sure about that second part. It's kinda hard to explain."

"_Are you in danger?"_

"No way." Soundwave never seemed totally convinced that he and Frenzy could handle themselves in tricky situations. Movement in the distance caught his attention. Allicon after Allicon was exiting the ship and heading their way. Uh oh. "Listen, Soundwave, I gotta go. I'll give ya the whole story when I get back," he said, ending communication. Before he could utter a warning, a burst of laser fire zipped around them.

Rumble immediately activated both pile drivers to slow the advance of the others by making them lose balance in the ensuing quake. The asteroid was brittle and quickly a large fissure opened, the problem was that its path wasn't as predictable as it was on a full size planet. Instead of opening beneath the Allicons, it took a hard jag to one side and went right under one of the legs that supported the odd spaceship. Metal groaned as the ground gave way and the ship listed hard to one side without completely falling.

The craft presented a problem for the seeker too. "Die you deceitful cowards!" Stormvolt growled before a streak of lightning lashed out from her left cannon. It was supposed to hit the center of the group of advancing Allicons but because they were so close to their ship, the metal in it attracted the bolt pulling it to the side. It blazed along the surface of the ship before exiting down the ramp offlining and deactivating several Allicons in the process. Though it missed the closest attackers, the flash scrambled their optics momentarily and that combined with the earthquake served to temporarily halt the charge. The femme turned on the Quintesson who had backed away but was unable to flee as Rumble had managed to keep him covered.

xxxxx

"You want to help them?" Sandstorm asked with disbelief.

"Yes." Springer replied.

"They destroy everything. They're a menace."

"As much as I agree with you, the Quintessons are worse."

"They are a common enemy. If they take the Decepticons they'll be after us next. Sometimes it's better to stick with the evil you know." Arcee said.

The three Autobots watched as the ground split and lightning struck. "I'm not sure they need the help," Sandstorm remarked.

"We'll make the offer anyway," said Springer.

xxxxx

Most of the enemy's shots weren't anywhere close but one did manage to skim the outer edge of a wing and it hurt although there was no real damage.

"That wasn't a wise move," Stormvolt said, bringing the guns to bear on the scientist. In perhaps one of the biggest strokes of luck in the Quintesson's life, the femme's communicator activated.

"_Attention Decepticons… This is Autobot cruiser four seven. Do you require assistance?"_

The bizarre message snapped her back to herself. For a couple seconds she was disoriented but ultimately the strangeness focused her. What in the hell did these Autobots want? Assistance? Had she heard that correctly?

"_Repeating, this is - "_

"_Be gone, Autobots. We have things under control here,"_ a voice interrupted, low and malevolent, as a sheet of laser fire rained down on the Allicons, sending the ones still standing afterward running for cover. Help had arrived.

"_Acknowledged," _came the reply in a 'Fine, we tried to help,' tone and then in the corner of her vision, the blue and silver flier saw engines ignite and propel a ship away_._

Why would their sworn enemies offer to help? There wasn't an opportunity to contemplate it further as Cyclonus transformed and landed heavily beside her.

"Have you sustained damage?" He asked, not looking at her but instead at the cowering Quintesson. He knew this one. It was the same despicable creature that had once captured him, Ultra Magnus, a Junkion and that human. Now he had trapped Scourge and would no doubt have made a try for Stormvolt. His hands flexed minutely as he fought the urge to rip the foul being to pieces and revel in its cries of pain.

"No, not really. I'm fine."

"Greetings Cyclonus," the scientist said.

"If you wish to continue functioning, you will remain silent," the mech replied, advancing slowly and deliberately. The object of his focus glided backward a short distance, trying to remain out of reach. "I have not forgotten our last meeting. It is only by the grace of Galvatron that you are allowed to live. But… there are limits to everything. If I ever encounter you again I will destroy you, do you understand?"

"Yes."

The seeker watched, fascinated. The mech was beginning to give her an uneasy feeling as he towered over the Quintesson. His fury was barely contained, and she fully expected him to change his mind and mangle the alien. She hadn't seen anyone this angry in a long time. But of course it raised more questions like why would Galvatron want these pests spared and what happened the last time Cyclonus dealt with this one?

"Good. First you will free Scourge, then you will depart immediately."

"Release him," the Quintesson said, flapping the tentacles on one side at the Allicons who were still under close watch by Rumble.

The net was cut loose and then removed with ease. The Allicons started to gather the fragments and take them along.

"Leave it," Stormvolt said. She had to know how it worked and how it selectively magnetized itself. The Allicons stared at their master.

"Don't look at him. I told you to leave it. Galvatron's orders do not cover the likes of you." She said, once again taking aim and having no idea if that was a true statement, but mostly likely they didn't either. The mechs dropped the remnants of the trap and slowly backed away.

"Now go," Cyclonus said, apparently more angry than before.

"How? Our ship is damaged."

The mechs furious scowl slowly changed to a mocking grin. "You're the _scientist_, you figure it out."

The freakish creature floated away with the Allicons closely following. The Sweeps had corralled the others, disarmed them and then forced them back into the ship, allowing them to pick up their fallen comrades as they went. It hadn't been difficult at all. They were confused and many were injured and all that the Sweeps needed to do was point out that their slimy little overlord would be destroyed if they didn't comply.

"Are you sure you aren't wounded?" Cyclonus asked, checking for visible damage.

"Nothing that won't fix itself," she said and then turned to Rumble, "What about you? Everything cool?"

"Icy," Rumble replied. Evidently she was the only one here who cared about his status. But Cyclonus sure seemed interested in her. It was almost like he…. No, oh no, that was waaaaaaay too disturbing to think about. There must be another reason.

"Good. Nice job with the ship, by the way."

"Lucky accident. That split was supposed to take out the Allicons, but the ground here is different. It would have kept 'em from escaping when we really went for 'em, though." He said with an ornery grin.

"Yeah," she said, smiling back.

Cyclonus watched this exchange, feeling stirrings of annoyance that were usually reserved for Thrust. He envied their easy friendship and wondered how the other mech did it. There would be closer observation in the coming days.

Stormvolt crouched beside the still offline tracker. A quick scan indicated no serious damage; he had only taken a good jolt. First possessed, now this. "Poor Scourge."

"He should exercise more caution in the future," Cyclonus said, unconcerned. "Did you find what you came here for?"

"More or less. There could be one or two more things."

"Let's get them while we wait for Scourge to recover. Rumble, you will guard him."

Sure thing Dracula, he thought, but only nodded in response and took a position nearby where he could easily keep an optic on the Quintesson and its troops. He had seen some seriously slaggin' weird goings on today, no question there, and could hardly wait to tell his twin and then Soundwave all about it.

xxxxxxxxx

Author's note continued: That part in a washing machine is called an agitator. Fitting, huh?


	23. Questions

Author's note: Thanks for reading and commenting (particularly you regulars.) Here's 22. Transformers belongs to Hasbro and Takara, not me.

A Blessing and A Curse  
By: Quetzal

Chapter 22  
Questions

xxxxxx

Frenzy could deal with the concept of ghosts. He could also handle the possibility of someone acting and sounding like their long lost leader. Other things, however, were too much.

"EEEEEWWWWW! That's gross, even for you!" Frenzy exclaimed, with a thoroughly disgusted expression to match.

"I know, but that's what it looked like," Rumble said, satisfaction momentarily covering his initial unease. He knew his observation would get a reaction from his twin, but it was better than he'd imagined.

"And what did she do then?"

"Nothin'. I'm not sure she noticed."

"You gotta be wrong."

"I know it sounds nuts, that's why I want you to come back out there with me today. If he's around you watch him and tell me if I'm wrong. I don't wanna bring it up unless we're sure."

"Why not?"

"Why get her all creeped out for nothin'? And I don't want to say anything about where those guys might've come from if I don't have to. You know, because of Skywarp and all."

"Oh yeah. Good thinkin'. " Frenzy tended to agree on the theory regarding the origins of Galvatron's henchmen, although it didn't plague his imagination in the same way.

Rumble had been informing Frenzy of his adventure on the asteroid. Upon return to Chaar, Cyclonus had cut him loose for a while because Stormvolt would be busy checking Scourge over and then taking a break herself. No point in his hanging around and not being one to argue anything that was to his benefit, he'd headed for the mine first thing. Since Soundwave was still busy running things it would be better to fill him in later on.

"And ya know," Frenzy continued, "All that Megatron stuff doesn't bother me near as much as the thought of that big jerk Cyclonus gettin' ideas. I mean, she could have been mad and just done it without even knowing. If ya hang around somebody long enough it rubs off."

"I thought of that, but if you could have seen her… It was like if Megatron was a femme. And besides, she never got to hang out with him after she'd changed."

"Well, we can't do nothin' about _that_, but maybe we can the other. I'll go if I can get away from Deadend."

"Still?"

"Yeah. I can't get a minute's peace with him here. Only when he's off deliverin' Ranazite."

"What do ya think that's about?"

"I dunno. He asks about what you're doin' and that's mostly it, if he's not complainin'. Heh! Could be Stormvolt's not the only one who should watch out."

"Talk about gross."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

It didn't look like much, but everything started small. The hidden cave was to function as the warehouse for the illicit Ranazite stockpile. Vortex held up a chunk of stone with a fat, glowing stripe embedded through it. This humble element would be what put him where he belonged. He picked out a few more choice specimens and stored them within a compartment in his chassis. The pile before him appeared no different and Motormaster had yet to see it, therefore, he'd never know the difference. The Combaticon carefully exited and used the almost silent antigravity to get underway. There wasn't anyone way out here to see him, but why take chances?

It didn't take long to reach his next destination. The mech landed on another hillside and wove his way around a group of large boulders before approaching the opening to another, smaller cave. This was where he'd keep his own supply. He placed the chunks on the ground. It was more pitiful than the other stash. Patience. Once he and the others took over it wouldn't be that much harder to overthrow Motormaster. All he would have to do is let him make a mess of things and then swoop in and pick him off. The Stunticon wasn't smart enough to rule. Mean enough, yes, but too dumb. While this was going on, Vortex would be amassing his own stores of weapons and fuels and then wait for the proper opportunity to strike. He could possibly be persuaded to let Motormaster live if he were to step aside willingly, but the chance of that was practically nil. Too bad, but sacrifices sometimes had to be made. It was unfortunate as he rather admired the other mech's enthusiasm and preparedness to take risks. And they were both taking huge risks. The big, dumb slagger had already drawn attention to himself by messing with that Sweep instead of cooperating and keeping a low profile. It annoyed him and made it that much more difficult to maintain the charade of accepting Motormaster as leader. They were in the most dangerous and fragile stages of the rebellion. This was not the time, oh but it would come eventually, and Vortex was very much anticipating it.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"I knew it," Cyclonus said, pointing.

"What?" Stormvolt asked as she finished putting the last of the scavenged parts on the workbench. The break was over. Upon return from the asteroid, Scourge had been checked out and then she had gone off to her rooftop to recharge in peace and quiet before getting back down to business.

"You have damage."

"I never said I didn't, but it's not that serious."

"How can you determine the severity when you cannot see it?"

"It didn't hurt that much."

"That does not matter. The shot you took removed the finish on this wingtip and there are gouges in the metal. You do not need an onset of corrosion," the mech lectured as he removed a small case from a storage compartment.

"What's that?" The femme asked as she watched him pick up a canister from within the case and remove the lid. It was a first aid kit of sorts. Along with the canister there were patches and others things that were harder to identify.

"A sealant and corrosion inhibitor. This will protect the area until you get around to having it painted."

"That could be a while." Paint was a frivolous concern compared to everything else they were up against.

"Yes." He had removed the lid which had a brush affixed to the bottom like rubber cement. "Prepare yourself. This may be unpleasant."

She felt the brush glide gently over the outermost tip of her left wing. It was cold but that was all. The mech was deadly and close to humorless, but despite being fully aware of this, she still found his concern almost … well, sweet was as close as she could get, but that wasn't really the right word. Before that line of reasoning could be followed far, the unpleasantness began. Whatever that crap was, it had the effect of being like iodine for 'bots. The coldness was replaced by a burning sensation that was about as bad as the laser shot that caused it. She winced but kept quiet, doubting that commotion over such minor discomfort would impress the mech.

Cyclonus noticed the flinch but didn't think less of her for it. His was still enormously pleased by earlier events. He and the Sweeps had approached the conflict zone low and as quietly as possible and had cleared the horizon in time to see the Allicons brought down by the lightning. The femme was standing out in the open, showing no fear before turning on the putrid interloper. If he and the Autobots hadn't interceded, the Quintesson would likely have been burned to a crisp. And if not for Galvatron's policy of letting them live for now, he would have been happy to let it happen. In fact, if he'd been alone and encountered them, there was every possibility that he would have come up with a form of logic that would have allowed the rules to be circumvented. But as it was, there were simply too many witnesses to trust them all to remain silent.

"You handled yourself admirably out there," said Cyclonus.

"Thank you, but I had help," Stormvolt replied. Rumble would receive credit for his contributions if she had to remind the second in command a thousand times.

"I am aware of that. What I meant was you weren't so foolish as to forego requesting assistance, but neither were you cowardly."

"Oh."

"If you hadn't been interrupted would you have terminated the Quintesson?"

"Probably," she said, mentally adding; But I wasn't the one driving at that point so who knows what the hell I would have done?

"You aren't sure?"

"I was tired of him lying to me, but I don't know. I could have taken him prisoner for interrogation purposes. I heard you say that it was only the grace of Galvatron that kept him alive. What's that about?"

"Infrequently they provide the Mighty One with information that allows for surprise attacks on our enemies and they also provide energon. I suspect once we have become proficient with obtaining that on our own, their value to him will decrease dramatically." The mech smiled a chilling smile at the thought of open season on the five faced scum.

"Is that how you know that one?" The seeker felt uneasy as she watched his face go back to angry.

"That particular Quintesson fancies himself a scientist. Once, through devious and craven methods he managed to take myself, Ultra Magnus, a Junkion and a human prisoner with the intent to experiment on us." His expression had changed yet again and was most peculiar. It was rather defiant as though daring her to say a word about it. He was probably embarrassed about being tricked and captured.

"How did you escape?"

"Outside forces made it necessary for us to temporarily work together." The entire story didn't take long to tell. And it further explained the mutual respect that she'd sensed between Cyclonus and Ultra Magnus.

"But there are others like that one?"

"Yes. There are other scientists and there are some that act as enforcers. Leadership is divided among a trine. Those three are the most devious and manipulative of the entire group."

"They're the ones with five faces?"

"How did you know about that?"

"When I asked Rumble what it was he said usually Quintessons have five faces. Hence the name, I guess."

"That is only the leaders. And should you ever encounter one in person, exercise the utmost caution. Assume the majority of what they tell you is a lie and do not turn your back on them."

"And these are our allies?"

"I'm afraid so… for now."

"I take it you've had dealings with them too? The five faced ones?"

Cyclonus paused. Should he tell her about that? The story hadn't been repeated to anyone. Of course she had first hand experience with Galvatron's condition now so what was the harm in letting her know the full extent? The femme had already proven that she had medical knowledge, and knowing about the attempt at a cure could enable her to suggest another course of action.

"The entire thing was my fault," the mech began.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"This may not be a permissible development." The deep, slow voice issued from a face that looked a little pudgy, except that for being metal, one would realize it was made that way and not the product of weight. A rounded hat-like item sat upon its top.

"There may be no development at all. Decepticons are nothing if not naturally belligerent." Another, rougher voice contended. This one came from a long, thin face crowned with a cluster of points and flanked by yellow segments.

"But the frequent visits to the asteroid suggest that they are up to something. The relevance of that 'something' is the question." A third voice added from a wide face that sat beneath an orange object resembling a deformed starfish.

The Quintesson imperial magistrates kept a close eye on their errant creations. Although the present day Autobots and Decepticons were descended from the original mechanoids built for military and domestic applications, they were still considered by the tentacled aliens as their property. For now they were free, but they would be brought under control again. It was just a matter of patience. The Autobots were the stronger faction now and had no need of any assistance. The Decepticons, however, were in dire circumstances. With Galvatron completely mad, it wasn't hard to convince him of their willingness to be allies. Their contributions were paltry. Occasionally they provided information as to the Autobots' movements and activities. It wasn't anything that the Decepticons couldn't have found out themselves if they didn't have many other issues to deal with first. Another service provided was supplying small amounts of energon. It was the minimum amount needed to keep the 'bots alive and that was it.

When the opportunity presented itself they caused more problems, such as suggesting the visit to Torkulon. That had proved a stroke of genius. Knowing of Cyclonus's unquestioning loyalty they surmised that Galvatron's deterioration weighed heavily upon the second in command. It was easy for anyone with the proper knowledge to see that the despot was much too disturbed for the standard therapies available on Torkulon to be effective. However, Cyclonus would have no idea about that or of what the final solution would be when earlier measures failed. The mech was so desperate that he rushed right into their trap. It should have ended with the Decepticon leader rendered a mindless machine and the total collapse of the fragile faction. Instead Galvatron had inexplicably infected the planet with his own madness and then went on to all but totally destroy it. That failure had made their task far more difficult.

"There is a ninety nine percent probability that the Decepticons will not willingly divulge information concerning their current activities," said the first Quintesson.

"Agreed," said the second.

"Perhaps now is the time for us to send an observer. Once we know their plans, if any, it will be a simple matter to foil them," the third said, wiggling his pale, stringy tentacles in anticipation.

"Yes, or turn them to our advantage. Let us contact our operative immediately."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"That's amazing," Stormvolt said, mentally adding: not to mention scary as hell. Cyclonus had told her all about the visit to Torkulon and the final outcome. How could anyone be nuts to the point of infecting a planet sized entity with their insanity?

"Yes, our leader is an awesome force to reckon with."

"But he was unbelievably angry with you when it was all over, huh?"

"Yes, however he saw fit to spare me. If he had opted for my elimination it would have been no more than I deserved," the mech said with a miserable tone. He was far more disgusted with himself than Galvatron had been. How could he have been so stupid as to hang any hope whatsoever on a suggestion from a Quintesson?

The femme wasn't sure what to say to that. She felt bad for him though.

_**Be careful. **_

Of what? It was the first she'd heard from the voice since nearly broiling the Quintesson.

_**Of your response.**_

I don't get it.

_**You feel sad for him, correct?**_

Kind of, yes. Look at him sitting there. Nobody tries harder and he's over there saying he deserved death for attempting to help.

_**Keep in mind that aside from belief in Galvatron and the Decepticon cause, all he has is his pride. Don't damage it by expressing anything close to pity.**_

Good observation.

_**Of course.**_

When the voice felt obliged to keep her from taking a dim witted action, she never minded the intrusion. But what was the proper reply? She moved closer to him and rested a hand on his upper arm.

"I don't think you deserved deactivation for doing what you thought was the right thing. It's not like you knew what would happen or did it in a bid to usurp his position as leader," she said, taking a sterner manner instead of being gently encouraging, hoping that her hand would temper the mood.

"Certainly not," he said. The idea was unthinkable.

"Then why feel guilty? Sometimes you have to take risks for the advancement of a cause. Your position and the dilemmas that come with it is not anything for the timid. Decisive action was required and you took it," she said, stepping away from him and going back to work.

He watched her as she stood with her back to him, digging through the various items on the workbench. It was a small relief to unburden himself and a larger one that she didn't think him stupid for what he'd done. It was true though. He had acted only with the best of intentions.

The seeker was starting to become drawn into her task. She had tried to cheer him up without being saccharine about it. He didn't shrug off her hand or tell her to get away. Did that mean she'd done the right thing? Odd that the voice would point something like that out. He/it must be in favor of the two of them together, but then why would that be? It was a question for later. She had too much work to get started to be dwelling on that. The sound of a crate being scooted back was masked by the clank and scrape of metal as the parts were moved around and examined.

A hand came to rest on her shoulder. "Your abilities are not limited to science and soldiering, it would appear," Cyclonus said quietly. He was standing mere inches away from her. She didn't twitch when he touched her. A good sign. He feared that it would take a long time to get her to trust him that way although he couldn't blame her for being jumpy considering some of what he'd done in the past.

_**Hmmm… the words I'd translate to: 'I feel better, thanks for listening,' but everything else says: 'When the time is right I am going to interface your processors out.'**_

Must you be so damn crude? And don't you have someplace else to be?

There was only a chuckle in response.

"Happy to help," the femme said, turning to face him. Geez, give him the green light and he didn't mess around. The mech was so close and seemed bolder in a different way somehow since telling her what was on his mind days ago. But then it was easier to show interest when you knew it wouldn't end in immediate rejection. Why couldn't they just make out like people? Then she'd know what to do right now, but as it was she was stuck for a follow up. The mech said nothing else but slid his hand from her shoulder down her arm to her hand with a light touch. Being made of metal, one wouldn't think that would feel like much but it did. Various systems within the seeker began to accelerate. What was the proper way to reciprocate? She hesitantly reached out and took his free hand and … nearly jumped out of her armor when a heavy metallic thump came from outside. Cyclonus immediately freed his hands and stepped back a tiny bit. It was like they were two teenagers about to be busted by their parents.

The beginnings of an argument reached their audio sensors:

"You cheated!"

"Like slag I did. Nobody laid out any rules."

"Yeah? If that's how ya wanna play it, then wait till we leave. Rematch!"

"You're on."

Seconds later, the door swung inward revealing Rumble and Frenzy.

"Hello gentlemen," Stormvolt said.

"Big Blue! What's happenin'?" Frenzy asked.

The femme snickered, but Cyclonus remained silent. It seemed a most disrespectful way to meet an eventual superior. And a tiny part of him felt excluded. He never made her laugh.

"Greetings Cyclonus," Rumble said, noticing the usual bad tempered stare, before silently adding: Now get lost. He also didn't miss how close together the larger 'Cons were and wondered if his twin had noticed.

"Greetings Rumble," he replied, before going back to his spot on the crate. He would observe and see if anything valuable could be learned.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

It was an interesting dynamic. The femme instructed the small mechs in what to do and they were happy to comply. She didn't order them around but instead used "please" and "thank you" and it was actually effective. There was also insincere complaining, minor insults and remarks that made no sense to Cyclonus but which Stormvolt found amusing. Evidently they behaved this way toward each other most of the time. Interesting. He would have to give what he'd seen more consideration in the future. In the present, he needed to get back to the mine for an update from Soundwave and to resume supervision.

"I must attend to other business, but I will return later," Cyclonus said, rising from the upended crate.

"I'll be right here," Stormvolt said with a small grin. It was easy to hear how the mech sounded very interested in the returning later part. Anyone who knew what had recently transpired would catch the meaning. Others might interpret it as a threat as in 'I will return later and you'd better show progress.' And still more 'bots who only suspected something going on would notice too.

"Did you hear that?" Rumble hissed quietly to Frenzy.

"Yeah, and that look. Bleah. I think you're right,"

"But see what I mean? It's like she doesn't notice or else just thinks he's bein' weird."

"I see. Be cool. I'll get around to asking before we leave."

The departure of the second in command was a welcome relief to the small 'bots who were trying to behave to a certain extent. They were aware of the way they were being watched and didn't care for it at all. They could all but feel the eerie crimson stare burning into them. And when the gaze was focused on the femme it wasn't nearly as threatening, but that was only more disconcerting.

"Rumble tells me you two had quite an experience," Frenzy said, taking a roundabout route to his real question.

"Oh yeah. I can't believe we're allied with those freaks,"

"Didn't stop ya' from kickin' lotsa Allicon tail though,"

"We did that all right."

"Too bad you didn't have a chance to take out those Autobots while you were at it."

"They offered assistance, can you believe it?"

Frenzy shrugged. "It don't surprise me none."

"But I've been thinking about that."

"And?"

The femme turned and looked at her small friends, all humor gone. "Boys… Are we evil?"


	24. Answers

Author's note: There's more of this at the end so I don't give anything away. Thanks for reading and commenting. Seriously. Transformers belongs to Hasbro and Takara.

A Blessing and A Curse  
By: Quetzal1

Chapter 23  
Answers

xxxxxx

This was a miserable assignment but it paid pretty well. It had better, considering the way he was risking his neck. It was bad enough to run afoul of a single Decepticon in a random place, but another to go wandering into a small planet full of them, uninvited, for the purposes of spying. He must be crazy. If he got caught there wouldn't be enough left of him to be worth cleaning up. The fact that he had also done jobs for Galvatron in the past wouldn't help his case. The Skuxxoid sighed heavily and took in his surroundings. There wasn't much to use as cover out here. He scooped up a handful of the loose, powdery dirt, considered, and then began to rub it onto himself. After this method proved too slow, he sped things up by wallowing on the ground. That would have to do. With his thick, plated skin now a dull gray instead of its usual pinkish-tan, he blended much better. Most Decepticons got around by flying, so if he crouched and made himself as small as possible, it wouldn't be hard to mistake him for just another rock. Of course he would have to see them before they saw him, he thought, and then began attempting to glance up at the starry sky in all directions at once. The little matter of perpetual night here wouldn't make it any easier. Stop it! Get a grip! He thought. The Skuxxoid tried to calm his nerves with visions of his more pleasant future. He would be very careful. These things were big but not that smart. He would find out all he could and they would never know that he was ever here. And when it was all over and he was thousands of credits richer, there would be a nice vacation on Monacus and many visits to the gaming houses there. Yeah, this would work out fine.

xxxxxxxxxxx

Rumble and Frenzy looked at each other and then back at Stormvolt. She wasn't showing the faintest hint of a smile. It wasn't a joke.

"Whaddaya mean, 'evil' "? Frenzy asked.

"Are we the bad guys in all this?"

"Depends on who ya ask," said Rumble.

"How about anyone who _isn't_ a Decepticon?" The seeker clarified. The two small mechs were genuinely baffled by her question.

"What brought all this on?" queried Frenzy.

"Ever since I got here, things keep happening that give the idea Megatron told me a whole lot of lies."

"Like what?" Rumble asked. He remembered the strict orders not to tell her anything when she first came to live at the undersea base. They were specifically instructed to direct any questions she had to their leader, except those of the banal, day to day variety. It hadn't occurred to them to ask why and even if it had, they wouldn't have dared. You didn't question the Boss. Not if you wanted to stay in one piece.

"Like the Autobots offering to help us with the Quintessons and how they acted when I took that dead one back to Cybertron. The way they let us visit the crypt and haven't come up here and wiped us all out. Megatron always said they were a bunch of murderous, pathological liars." The femme was becoming more and more worked up.

"He said _that_?"

"Yes. He told me they would go to a planet and get in good with the inhabitants by pretending to protect them from us. They would lie and turn everyone against us before we had a chance to do anything."

"Uh…no, that's not entirely true," Frenzy said cautiously. Their friend was at a total, frustrated loss and is showed. Had she really believed that all these years?

"But they ain't completely clean, either," Rumble added.

"What do you mean?"

"Sit down. It's a long story."

"First though, ya have to know that we had no idea about any of it," Frenzy interjected. "We had orders not ta answer questions, but we didn't know why."

"Yeah, and not just us, but everybody. Of course ya know better than ta disobey _his_ orders. We thought ya just didn't like Autobots for the same reasons we didn't," Rumble said.

"Not completely. Mostly I hated them because I thought they were out to take over Earth."

"Wow."

"But what's history got to do with any of it?"

"Like I said, the Autobots ain't totally innocent either."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

It was a rare occurrence, but Galvatron was bored. Feeling slightly more in control of his mental faculties lately had enabled thinking in a fashion beyond the usual vicious circles. In fact, he was finding that attempts to access his older memories weren't causing the devastating pain they usually did. That would be the first time since he came to this rock. He despised Chaar, viewing it as just another reminder of their failure. But perhaps things were slowly beginning to improve.

The events on Paradron angered him but it also proved that they remained a force to be reckoned with (at least with unarmed pacifists, but he chose to ignore that particular detail.) For a short while they had possessed a planet as worthy of them as Cybertron. But of course they lost it to the Autobots. They _always_ lost _everything_ to the accursed Autobots. Oh, if only a suitable weapon could be obtained. He did not have enough formidable warriors, so a device of unlimited destructive capability would be required to gain the upper hand. They didn't have the resources to build it themselves and those disgusting Quintessons couldn't be trusted to provide one despite their claims of being on the same side. He would fully expect anything they gave to blow them all to scrap on the first attempt at use. Of course that's not to say that they didn't have one for their own use that would be acceptable. A few cycles ago he had received an intelligence report from Blast Off regarding an unusual construct in quadrant Delta14. The Combaticon did not recognize it and couldn't tell what it did from observation. Why not investigate now? If it was potentially useful they would take it. But first he should get one of his troops to accompany him. Space was dangerous, far more than it used to be, and there was no telling what one would encounter. It was always smart to have someone to distract a potential problem, allowing him to make a getaway if it became necessary.

xxxxx

Shockwave liked working in solitude. He was alone in his tower on Cybertron for millions of years and even when the others returned, he preferred to stay that way except when summoned by their glorious leader. That was not a good thing to recall. The Ranazite project had come the closest of anything to pulling him out of the depths of his depression, but it was a difficult struggle. Though occupied with highly important tasks, his thoughts would still stray back to before things went wrong.

He tried to hide his true feelings for the Decepticon warlord but it was painfully difficult. Early on Shockwave had been impressed with the other's charisma and determination. It had not been difficult to fall under his influence. But eventually it turned into more than that, at least on one side of the relationship. The mech found himself working as hard as he could for even the faintest praise or recognition from their leader. It looked like dedication but it wasn't, not to their cause anyway. No, it was Shockwave trying to distinguish himself and catch whatever attention he could from the white and silver tyrant. This seeming devotion and discipline very quickly helped him to rise to a high rank and, more importantly, to become part of the inner circle of leadership. They were some of the most wonderful days of his existence and also some of the most frustrating. Often the scientist would work closely with his leader, occasionally just the two of them. It was an exquisite torture the way they would be alone but he couldn't bring himself to express his feelings. Now and then, when he had done something especially noteworthy, Megatron would complement him, sometimes placing a hand on his shoulder as he did so. Just that innocent contact nearly made him crazy. But there was more to thwart his plans besides his own hesitance.

Naturally as the Decepticons grew in power, they grew in number. Among the newcomers were femmes, and much to Shockwave's surprise and intense disappointment, it appeared that Megatron preferred them. It positively incensed him at first. Several of them were obviously trying to better their position within the organization by involvement with their leader. But then followed a great relief. Of course one as brilliant as the warlord would know exactly what the opportunistic femmes were up to.

After one particularly sickening display by one of these leeches it cheered him greatly to see Megatron watch her leave and snicker to himself "Ridiculous, pitiful creature," he said with amused contempt.

It gave Shockwave hope for the future. He would become the most impressive of all Decepticons and eventually Megatron would have to realize his value in other…capacities. But it was not to be.

"Shockwave! What are you doing here?" Galvatron demanded. The despot had decided to step outside and have a look around before he summoned anyone to accompany him on his next mission. It was quiet at first but then he had heard noises and investigated.

"I am reorganizing the repair bay," Shockwave said. He had rearranged various items around the room to make the lie seem true just for situations like this. The Ranazite and the various tests were tucked away in a previously unused back room.

"Why the sudden interest?" Galvatron asked suspiciously.

"The inefficiency couldn't be allowed to continue." Shockwave could barely look at their new leader. He was a poor imitation of his previous self and the insanity was too much to bear. If he knew of any possible way to correct the condition he would have immediately taken steps to bring it about, but he couldn't so much as ask a couple of questions to learn if an attempt was worth it.

"Don't you think we have bigger concerns than _housekeeping_?" The mech began to slowly advance. Why was almost every single one of his soldiers wasting their time on nothing or trivialities? Shockwave was once a scientist of note, a creature of logic. Now he was concerned with the state of the repair bay rather than the big issues? Typical. Perhaps a good beating would get him thinking in the right direction. Perhaps not, but it would be entertaining. As he was about to spring he heard steps behind him.

xxxxx

Cyclonus hadn't had a chance to discuss the results of the tests that Shockwave was in charge of conducting. He approached in robot mode to maintain silence. Thus far they had managed to keep the Ranazite secret from Galvatron. Of course he would be informed, but not until they had something suitable to show him. As he landed and approached the decrepit edifice he heard the voice of his master and felt a deep sense of dread. Had they been found out? He distinctly heard the word 'housekeeping', which made no sense, and walked faster. Upon entering he was not surprised to see Shockwave about to take a beating, but there was no obvious evidence that their leader had discovered the operation. Galvatron turned at the sound of steps and his mood suddenly changed.

"Cyclonus, where have you been?"

"I…," he started to reply with one of the many lies he had reserved for these occasions, but didn't get a chance.

"Never mind. You have more important things to do now," Galvatron interrupted, apparently forgetting about Shockwave entirely. "Come with me. You and I are going to assess a potential find."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"And now here we are," Rumble finished. It didn't take all that long to cover millions of years of history when most of it was explained away as a series of enormously protracted battles, even with regular interruptions for clarification.

xxx

"Let me get this straight. You guys really were on Earth for millions of years, but in stasis, and had only been out if it a few years before I showed up?" Stormvolt asked.

"Right," Frenzy replied.

"Which means you had not a damn thing to do with Roswell?"

"Nope, not us. What did you hear?"

"A Decepticon crashed there and was captured and then others showed up to rescue him just before he was dismantled."

The small mechs glanced at each other. They knew Megatron was persuasive and a great liar, but they were starting to develop a newfound awe for his creativity.

xxx

The origins were interesting, though. The flier had no idea that Megatron had once been a nobody. Just an anonymous miner working each day of his existence until corrupt politicians inadvertently set in motion cataclysmic events by automating the mine planet. And that was outright weird, robots pissed off because different machines were taking their jobs. In short, it had started as one thing and then turned into something hugely different. The part about the underground gladiatorial combat didn't strain her imagination at all, however. That was extremely easy to envision.

"What was the point to all this?"

"Because. Ya have to know why things are the way they are."

"There's reasons for everything. We didn't do what we did just because we felt like it," Frenzy said.

"But the reasons don't change that I was lied to for years," Stormvolt said, getting to her feet and beginning to pace. "I killed people! Fuck!"

"Say you'd known… what could ya do about it?" The red mech asked carefully. He didn't think she'd take out her anger on them but he wasn't totally at ease, especially with her stalking back and forth waving her hands and snarling with helpless anger. Bad things tended to happen when she was mad.

"I don't know! I could have refused to cooperate!" She snapped.

"Yeah, and it woulda been the last thing ya ever did," Rumble said.

"Shit!" She stopped pacing and slouched down into a corner. Her optics were still burning brightly but her anger seemed partially diffused for the moment.

"He's right ya know," Frenzy said quietly, wishing his twin had a bit more tact.

"I might be better off." Memories of the final encounter with her parents cruelly flashed though her mind. They were right to have disowned her.

"Nah, that's crap."

"Easy for you to say."

"Ya didn't know. It's not your fault." He paused, deep in thought, before continuing "Ya probably saved a few lives now that I think of it."

"How?"

"We know you'd avoid killin' when ya could. And if Megatron sent ya in after a weapon or whatever, it was better than one of us. You'd be sneaky and stay hidden. Any of the rest of us woulda wrecked the place and shot anything that moved."

The seeker sighed heavily. He had a point, but it didn't change things any. "Maybe you two should take a hike for a little while. I appreciate what you're trying to do, but I want to be by myself. I…" She paused in mid sentence, listening, as her communicator activated. "Acknowledged," she said.

The cassettes watched her curiously.

"That was Cyclonus. He and Galvatron are going to be off Chaar for a while. Good news for you, eh? I get the idea you two don't like him much." She had noticed the way that the pair would sneak wary glances in his direction and stayed as far away as they could manage without being too obvious.

"Ya got that right," Rumble said. He had remained quiet as his twin attempted to calm their friend, but couldn't resist commenting.

"What's the story there? I haven't seen him being mean to you."

"It's nothin'." Now was not the time to bring that up.

"No, what?"

"He's right. You don't wanna hear it anyway," Frenzy said.

Were they hiding something? "Yes I do. Spill it."

"Fine. Don't freak out here, but it may be smart ta watch out for him," Rumble said. He was much happier when he thought the second in command was hot for Galvatron. Stormvolt had told them otherwise when she found out the truth.

"What exactly am I watching out for?"

"Um, see,…we've been kinda noticin' that, uh…."

"What?"

"We think he kinda likes ya," said Frenzy.

"Oh. You're right."

"You knew?" Rumble asked, astounded.

"No, not until he told me but…"

"Wait, he _told_ you?! Aren't you concerned?"

"Why would I be concerned?"

"Because. Don't you know what…," Rumble began, just as a new, scary idea occurred to him. "Hey, you don't like him too, do ya?"

"Sort of." She would have found their reactions hilarious if she hadn't been so unhappy.

"Oh no. Don't say that," Frenzy grimaced.

"You act like it's a bad thing."

"Listen, don't ya know what those guys _are_? Cyclonus and Scourge and all of them?"

The femme gave them a blank look and Rumble cringed inwardly. He had been hoping to avoid this discussion, but slag, he had to tell her before things went any further.

"Think about it. If Galvatron was Megatron, then who do you…"

"Stop right there. I don't want to hear it."

"I told you so," Frenzy muttered.

"But…"

"No. I know the story with Galvatron, but that doesn't prove a thing. Got it?" The flat, clipped tone served as a warning. Upon discovering that the tombs of her two late friends were empty, she had wondered if they were closer than she thought. But that idea brought no comfort and there was nothing to prove it. They could have just been unable to recover the bodies. Fuck, what a topic to get started on with everything else she just learned. "Don't you two have someplace to be?"

"Will you be okay? I mean, you're not gonna do somethin' crazy, right?" Frenzy asked.

"I'll be fine. I'll see you later. Go."

Finally alone, she leaned back against the wall. What did they think she would do? Off herself? No way. Defect? Yes, the Autobots would welcome her right in after the threats and near fight. But again, her friends were right. The enemy wasn't totally clean. Their senate was corrupt and arrogant and that system, in part, was what they were fighting to restore. All the millions of years of fighting had surely changed them, too. If the Decepticons had really started as a means of trying to get out from under an oppressive regime and then went out of control, what had it done to the Autobots? If anything they had gotten meaner under the leadership of Rodimus Prime, blowing up planets and such, and he hadn't been in charge long. But simultaneously, they actually were defending Earth. It still didn't change the fact that she had been led far astray. What was the point? She considered a second or two and then settled back against the wall trying to calm her spinning thoughts. Having recently gotten a recharge could make it difficult to go offline. Megatron hadn't appeared to her since his initial visit, but she had a feeling he might do it again.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Being lost in potentially hostile territory was no fun. The Skuxxoid had been wandering for a long period without seeing a sign of life. Where was everyone? If he came back with no information the Quintessons would try to feed him to a Sharkticon, or worse, not pay.

He really needed to learn how to read a direction plotter. Well, first he needed to be able to read in general but if it wasn't monetary he wasn't interested. It had been a long walk and he felt entitled to a break. He perched his rotund, scaly body on a flat rock and took in the surroundings. What could the Quintessons be worried about? How could anyone survive in this dump let alone make trouble? The alien stretched and then scratched his side. What a way to make a living. He yawned prodigiously, which made it hard to hear the low sound at first. It steadily began to increase until he recognized it as engine noise. Someone or something was coming! The Skuxxoid jumped off the rock, crunched his bulk into a ball beside it, and hoped he wouldn't be spotted.

Fortunately for him, Thrust wasn't scanning for any organic life forms nor did his path take him directly overhead. The alien risked an upward glance and saw the red jet disappear on the other side of some low mountains. Was it going to or coming away from an area of interest? Either way it was a direction to go in. He made a mental note of where the jet was last spotted and started walking again.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The heavy fog was back, but not as thick as previously. The seeker remained above it on her rooftop perch but it was easy to see the difference. Why was she back here? She was dreaming but that didn't mean it would work. There was no else around, a fact cemented by scanning twice. Nevertheless, as she stood gazing off into the distance a pair of hands settled gently on her shoulders. Wouldn't it be cool if it was Cyclonus and this was one of those hot dreams like she hadn't had since her human days before the Decepticons arrived? But then what was hot now that she was a machine? After they came into her life she didn't dream much at all unless it was about being chased by an unseen menace. As she was about to speak, she happened to glance over and saw that the hand there wasn't pale purple, but black. In a fast, smooth motion she dropped and spun to the side.

"Aren't you glad to see me?" Megatron asked.

"We need to have a few words. You know, if you can manage the truth for a change."

"Oh spare me your righteous indignation."

"How am I supposed to feel? I trusted you, and you were lying to me the entire time!"

"Not the _entire_ time."

The femme couldn't respond and stood there, fists clenched and quivering with rage. How dare he be so cavalier!

The mech sat down on the improvised bench and gestured for her to join him. She waited several seconds as though considering before sitting on the end farthest away. "Well?" She demanded.

"Yes, I was lying to you."

"Why? What was the point?"

"Call it a hobby. I thought it would be fun to see how long it took for you to be won over and abandon humanity," Megatron said, and then quickly raised a hand before Stormvolt could launch into a tirade. "In the beginning, that is," he continued.

"I was nothing but a _toy_?" It made no sense, but on top of being furious she was surprised to find that this discovery hurt, and then she was still angrier for feeling that way.

"As I said, _in the beginning_. However, after a while a peculiar thing happened that I didn't foresee: Flesh creatures generally disgusted me, but I came to like you."

The femme snorted, a difficult thing to do considering her anatomy, but it conveyed her feelings perfectly. "Lucky me."

"More than you realize. And don't forget it was you who requested to stay in the first place."

"What else could I do? You were going to kill me."

"Nothing is without cost. The price for your life was service to our cause."

"That's just it! I didn't know what your cause was! You made me think that you were persecuted and that the Autobots were going to destroy the planet when it was you all along."

"And if I'd told you the truth? Then what? You could not have opposed us and you would have ended up dead and being of no use to anyone. And despite the theatrics I'm seeing here now, I don't believe you've ever truly wanted to die. Not only that, but if I had freed you, it would have gone precisely as I said. You would have been a prisoner for the rest of your life, courtesy of your own vaunted authorities, even if you had committed no crimes."

"Yeah, but what about all those people I killed for you!?"

"When did I ever order you to execute anyone? As is the case in any war, you destroyed other humans out of self-preservation. It was always you or them."

"But…" How did he do that? This fucker had all the angles covered and he was technically right.

"And if one thinks about it, our struggle isn't that different from those of your ancestors."

"What?"

"Consider your previous faction. The entire country came about because of a group of humans that were tired of being oppressed decided to rebel."

"The American revolution was not the same thing."

"No?"

"No. That was about freedom, not taking over."

"Oh really? I'm sure the humans that inhabited the continent first would beg to differ."

When had he studied history? "Yeah, but we never invaded and tried to enslave…." She began to retort and then realized that this too was very wrong.

"Of course there isn't a developed nation on that planet or any other that hasn't done the same things somewhere in its history. The point is that you are a part of something similar but on a much larger scale. It is the way of the universe."

"I'm just on the wrong side, that's all."

"If the Autobots are so noble, then why do they leave you and the others on this rock to starve? Your human faction didn't treat their defeated enemies in such a fashion."

"If it were them on Chaar and we had Cybertron, wouldn't you do the same thing?"

"No. I would eradicate them completely."

"See? That's what I mean."

"You wanted honesty. I am merely providing it."

"Sure. _Now_ you are."

"Stormvolt, we transformers live extremely long lives. You cannot spend it dwelling in the past."

"I'm just supposed to forget everything I did, everything that's happened?"

"I didn't say that. What I meant was there is nothing to be done now. There are no amends to be made. If you insist upon constant regret it will make your future much more difficult, and your prospects are not that bright as it is," Megatron said, with an uncharacteristic conciliatory tone.

The femme glared at him suspiciously. Why was he being almost…nice? It wasn't guilt, she was sure of that.

The mech was staring off into space. "If all was forgiven and you were free to join the Autobots, would you? Do you honestly think you could eliminate one of your former comrades?"

"No, but why couldn't I be a neutral instead?"

"Could you walk away from your friends, never seeing them again? And could you betray Cyclonus? I realize that particular development hasn't progressed far yet, but I have all confidence that it will."

The mech stared at her, smirking. "Unless you get caught in your own lies. Then it's hard to say. It's been pure chance that no one has pressed the issue of your past or mentioned to anyone of consequence that they have no idea who you are. It will be impossible to hide it much longer and the longer you _do_ manage to keep the secret, the more damaging it will be when the truth comes out."

"Yeah, I drop that bomb and Cyclonus will probably kill me if Galvatron doesn't beat him to it."

"I suspect given a chance to consider, Cyclonus would be forgiving. And you let me worry about Galvatron."

Sure. How would she ever bring up that particular fact? Wait, he was doing it again. Distracting her from the whole point of the meeting. "This isn't about my being human once. Let's get back to why we're here."

"We were speaking of impossibilities. You couldn't be an Autobot. They would never trust you and furthermore, they would deactivate or imprison you if they ever found out about Dart. Likewise you couldn't become neutral and live a life of repentance. Galvatron would make it a personal mission to destroy you if you were to leave for either state. You could hide, but it wouldn't matter in the end. They would find and demolish you."

"So where does that leave me?"

"Where indeed? The answer is obvious. You will continue as though these revelations never occurred."

"Pffft. Right, just like that."

The mech scowled at her. "There are important developments about to take place and you are crucial to their success. There is no time for self pitying nonsense. Besides, you were better than that as a human and certainly there has been improvement since then."

"What's in it for you?"

"Recovery of my rightful position of course."

"How?"

"You'll see when it's appropriate."

"Maybe. Or maybe I don't feel like helping you any more. How about that?"

"Are you threatening me?" Megatron asked with wonder.

The flier shrugged and maintained a defiant expression, despite a jolt of fear. It _was _a threat, something she never would have even imagined doing before. But why worry? He was mostly dead. What could he do about it, nag her to death?

"What if I offered you your freedom with no retaliation in exchange for helping me?"

"Uh huh. Sounds like another lie."

"I assure you it isn't."

"Prove it."

"You are beginning to test my patience, however I do understand your reticence," the mech said, although his tone of voice suggested he wouldn't remain understanding for much longer. "There isn't a way to prove it, other than to advise you that I could have easily made you do my bidding through force."

"Oh?"

"You know better than to doubt me."

The femme was totally unprepared for the stabbing pain that tore through her. It was everywhere at once and then flared in different locations. She crumpled and fell. The world was seen through heavy static until it cleared suddenly and she found herself back in the mine headquarters. Another dream. Thank goodness.

_**Are you sure about that?**_ The voice asked before her hand felt as though it were on fire.

Alright, I believe you! Damn!

_**Do we have a deal?**_

You'd seriously let me go?

_**If that is what you want, but I have my doubts that it is.**_

Okay. I'll go on for now.

_**Excellent.**_

She leaned back against the wall, flexing her hand. It wasn't damaged, but it had sure felt like it.

xxxxx

Through a crack in the roof of the building, Buzzsaw peered down at the seeker as she shook her hand to dispel the last of the burning sensation. At first he thought she was experiencing a serious malfunction, but then realized it was like what Soundwave had taken to doing, only worse. The mechanoid raptor would need to report this discovery to his cassette brethren later. If he came back with useful information they would be less cranky about holding up their end of the bargain.

xxxxx

"Alright! Frag! A third from each of us when we get the next rations, unless you want me ta open a conduit and bleed it out right here." Rumble said sarcastically.

Buzzsaw was silent for a brief moment then squawked in agreement. The raptor had been aimlessly wandering about when he had encountered his pseudo-siblings. They were concerned about the femme seeker for whatever reason. He himself was neutral on the topic, like his own twin Laserbeak. They had requested he go over to the mine headquarters and monitor the flier's activity and notify them if it looked as though she was going to do something ill advised or possibly flee. He had nothing better to do but wasn't about to go sit for a potentially long period and be more bored just out of the kindness of his spark. Payment was required.

The negations weren't lengthy, although fraught with swearing and threats, before a settlement was reached. On ration day he would be absolutely stuffed. He didn't know why they were complaining anyway. Ravage was regularly finding small stashes of energon here and there, so it wasn't as if they'd starve.

He stared at Frenzy until the offer was confirmed. "Yeah, a third from both of us. Now get goin' ya chiseler. And make sure to stay outta sight."

Buzzsaw had shrieked before taking to the air, missing the rest of the conversation.

"Okay, what are we gonna do now? Any ideas?" Rumble asked.

"I dunno, the same thing we do every time we get in over our heads?"

"Fine with me. Soundwave always knows what to do, but I ain't sure he's gonna believe all this."

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Author's note continued: I'm not sure what you will make of my angle on Shockwave. All I know is that to me, everything about the cartoon version screamed that he had it bad for Megatron. I don't know if that's what the voice actor intended but that's the way I always thought he sounded. And besides, it's important later.


	25. Out of the Frying Pan

Author's Note: I heard from a couple of reviewers the last time who had issues with a few things and asked that I answer in the notes. I'd rather do that in a regular message so I'm not taking up a bunch of space, but this time I've put it in a continuation of the notes at the end of the chapter so I don't bore whoever isn't interested. Thanks for reading and commenting. Transformers belongs to Hasbro and Takara, not me.

A Blessing and A Curse  
By: Quetzal1

Chapter 24  
Out of the Frying Pan

xxxxxxxxx

It was definitely not what he was expecting to hear and Soundwave didn't know what to think about it at first. Rumble told him what took place on the garbage asteroid, including the discussion of Starscream's ghost and the femme's spooky Megatron impression. There was a lot of it that made no sense (ghosts?) but conversely, other equally bizarre things were starting to seem less peculiar. It was a relief, but it raised more questions. That was all right because he finally had a solid place to start in getting to the bottom of what was happening to him.

"What else did you learn?" He asked.

"That's mostly it," Rumble said, uneasily, before glancing over at Frenzy.

"Mostly?" He knew that reluctant manner. What had the two of them gotten into now?

"We found out somethin' else and we don't know what ta do about it," Frenzy said.

"Which is?"

"Did ya know that Stormvolt thought the Autobots were evil?" Rumble asked. "I mean, can ya believe it?"

Though his telepathy didn't work perfectly on another 'bot, it worked extremely well on the primitive brain of an organic. He knew what Erica had been thinking whenever he felt like knowing and was close enough to pick up her thoughts. She had sincerely believed the Autobots were evil, but on rare occasions, there were tiny, nagging doubts caused by one isolated event or another. Sometimes she had pondered her fate if it turned out things were not as they appeared, but it was remarkably easy for her to push those thoughts away. Humans were gifted self deceivers when the truth looked like too much to be dealt with. Of course since no one was allowed to answer her questions back then, there could only be one place she received the misleading information.

"Affirmative. But why does that trouble you?"

"Ya knew? Why didn't ya tell us?"

"Your knowledge of that fact would have been counterproductive."

"Oh. Anyway, she asked us about it, so we told her the truth and she was pretty glitched over it."

"And then what happened?"

"She said she wanted to be by herself."

"Yeah, but we sent Buzzsaw ta watch and make sure she didn't do nothin' crazy," Frenzy added. "And bad as that is, it ain't the worst of it."

Soundwave said nothing, and the small mech took that as his cue to continue.

"That slagger Cyclonus is tryin' ta get cozy with her."

Soundwave was quite surprised to hear that and with such obvious displeasure. Beneath his mask, a rare event took place: he actually grinned a little. Was the small 'bot jealous? Had he been entertaining ideas along the same lines? They would be such an odd looking pair. "What do you care?" He asked, quickly getting control of himself.

"If that freak was normal, I don't guess we would," Rumble said. Frag, no. In fact, if he were normal they would have teased the femme unmercifully. "But you know what he probably is."

The mech nodded once in response. He knew better than they did. Galvatron and his henchmen were harder than average to read. However, he still got a strong sense that, excepting their leader, even they didn't truly know their own origins. It all fit together too neatly to be coincidence. "Did you say anything about that?"

"We tried but she wouldn't let us. Said it was all circumstantial."

"You would be wise not to interfere in affairs of that nature." His life would be easier if these two would develop colder natures and learn to mind their own business. But while it would be easier, it would also be far less interesting.

"Yeah, yeah, we know, but ya can't let a pal go messin' around with a zombie and not say _somethin_'." Frenzy replied.

"What should we do now?" Rumble asked.

"Nothing. I will speak to her," Soundwave said, impassively. Oh yes. He had many questions for the seeker.

"That's a relief."

"Yeah. Thanks a lot," said Frenzy. In a pinch, Soundwave never let them down. Why couldn't Stormvolt have taken an interest _him_? The communication expert shared a couple of traits with Cyclonus. He was large and mostly quiet, if that was the kind of thing she went for. However, he had other qualities that the small mech considered superior, the foremost of those being that he was normal. And he was available. Hmmm.

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"What do you mean you haven't learned anything?" Motormaster asked. Considering the way Soundwave's miniature lackeys liked to spy and gossip, Deadend should have all manner of information whether he wanted it or not.

"I keep trying but they never say much about it," Deadend replied. He knew the plan would end with him in trouble as usual. Being in the enclosed space of the guard post/bunker with his increasingly angry team leader wasn't helping his mood, either.

"It's not that hard and I suggest you get some results before you come out here again."

"How much Ranazite do we have so far?" Hopefully a change of topic would ease the tension. He had given up portions of several loads to Vortex. He had no idea where the Combaticon put them or what was being done with them. But then, he was happier that way.

"Not much, but you leave that to me. All you have to really focus on is getting information."

"Right."

"No one has noticed the missing ore, have they?"

"Not that I can tell. No one would know except Shockwave, and he never has much to say either." Deadend did not like the uppity scientist, always going around acting like he was superior to everyone else.

"Make certain you don't go overboard and give away too much. Being found out is the last thing we need. Now get out of here."

Deadend was happy to oblige, although he wondered how he was supposed to keep Vortex from doing whatever he pleased. Of all the Combaticons, he was the nastiest. Brawl was large and seemed to be perpetually angry, but it was a blind anger. Vortex, however, had a focused rage. He was cruel and sadistic and enjoyed hurting others simply because he could. There were stories that circulated about his interrogation methods but since he had to deal with him on a daily basis, Deadend didn't want those thoughts repeating in his processors. He didn't need this aggravation. Life was much too short as it was. If things did go wrong, Motormaster would surely take the side of his fellow Stunticon so there was a scrap of solace. On the other hand, if he didn't provide useful information soon, he would be in a world of hurt, courtesy the same mech. But how? What would make those two little creeps talk? Though he was a pessimist and unstable, as were all Stunticons, he wasn't entirely stupid. An idea began to form as he headed back toward the mine. Even if he hadn't been to deep in thought, he wouldn't have noticed a lone observer.

xxxxx

The vehicle sure acted like he was in a hurry to get somewhere, the Skuxxoid thought. He had followed the general direction in which Thrust had disappeared earlier, but his progress was hampered by a series of small mountains. Their surface was soft and crumbly and made climbing difficult. Repeatedly he had gotten close to the top of a hill and then the ground gave way beneath him, dumping him back at the bottom. He couldn't see a way around. There was no telling how far the range went and he might walk for days and not find the end or an easier passage through. Going back down the other side was easier but had still led to several mishaps. The alien's scaly hide was battered and scraped. Oh, he was earning his pay on this mission. When he was most of the way to the top of one peak, and hoping it was the last, the sound of another engine came to his filth coated ears. It was shifting through gears, which eliminated it as an aircraft. Peering over the summit revealed Deadend. He quickly removed a spyglass from the pack slung over one shoulder and had a closer look.

Yes, definitely a Decepticon, but why was he way out here in the middle of nowhere? Tracks were visible in the soft ground and he was able to trace them back to a low hill where they abruptly stopped. Pressing a button on the side of the scope zoomed it in further. Upon further inspection, the alien saw that it wasn't a hill at all, but a guard post of some kind. What could these guys have that was worth protecting? He watched it a while and thought he detected a slight movement within. Uh oh. This was not the place to cross down into the narrow valley. He hated the idea of making the upward climb again and cautiously began to move sideways. If he were careful, he could travel this way until he was far enough away from the guard post to avoid being spotted. It was a nice thought. The mercenary had gone about twenty yards before the ground gave way again, spilling him to the bottom, and partially burying him in gravel and dirt. As he sat there in a pile of debris up to his chest, his resolve strengthened. If he found anything good, he was going to make the Quintessons double his payment before he told them about it.

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What now? Stormvolt wondered. The majority of her life was based on lies. Okay, sure she had had cause to wonder every once in a great while if things were different than they were presented, but there'd been no way to know for sure and you could make yourself crazy second guessing everything continuously.

Be honest, she thought ironically. Fine. She decided years ago that maybe it was better to not dig too deep. It was far easier to believe what she had been told. And everything happened exactly the way Megatron told her it would, from the war to her becoming a wanted criminal. Aside from the rare odd occurrence there really wasn't a reason _not_ to believe. It hadn't been such a bad life, considering. She hadn't been denied much and the Decepticon leader had treated her pretty well after the initial arrival (certainly much better than many of the others). He was very demanding and expected an awful lot from her, but that was a part of his militaristic nature. Sometimes, if he were in the right mood, he was kind of interesting to hang around with. On the other hand, there was the near total isolation from other humans. Even that hadn't been absolute. Now and then one showed up, like that Shawn Berger creep. He was unaware of her presence but she learned a lot about him. He was only interested in helping for his own personal gain. Unfortunately, she had no idea how that turned out, this being before the days when her assistance with missions became routine. Other aspects of her life were highly controlled like, not being allowed to watch much TV unless it was supervised. The better to keep you from finding out things you shouldn't.

There were other aspects to consider besides the lies, like her friends. Despite the vast differences in their species she had made several, though now only about half of them remained. She tried to imagine walking away from them for good. If her life became a blank slate, what would she do? Where could she go? There would be no one to help if it was needed, and just because Megatron let her go didn't mean the Autobots would. They weren't the evil monsters she'd been led to believe, but they would be perfectly justified in coming after her, especially if they ever found out about that Dart guy. His destruction hadn't been entirely her doing, but it was close enough. And now there were Quintessons to worry about and likely many other things she wasn't even aware of.

Overriding it all was the sneaking feeling that even if somehow she managed to do whatever had to be done to restore Megatron to power, there wasn't any way in hell he'd let her walk. No. Just look at Octane. Being a Decepticon was like being in the mafia. Once you were in, that was it. You were there till you died. And despite the anger and disgust and frustration, she did want to live. Fuck, what a mess. Hours had passed since Rumble and Frenzy left. Cyclonus probably wouldn't be back soon, a good thing because it would allow her the opportunity to compose herself and not arouse his suspicions. There was another sticking point.

Not in a million years would she have guessed that particular development. And it wasn't one sided. The more she was around him and the more she learned, the more she liked him. Finding out that they were on the wrong side didn't change that. It would be stupid (and mean) to continue the relationship if she were going to leave but… the concept of breaking it off made her feel worse. And besides, there were obstacles in her path that looked insurmountable. It was not out of the question that she would fail, so why ruin what she had now for something she might never accomplish? Currently, things were going fine, but if Cyclonus ever found out what she used to be, that would undoubtedly change. She couldn't imagine him being understanding in regards to her pedigree, never mind what Megatron said. But he was right about part of that issue: It _was_ pure luck that she hadn't been outed, either purposely or by accident before now. And someone _was_ curious or else they wouldn't have pounded the snot out of Thrust. Supposedly there were others who were in on this recovery of their old leader. It would be nice to know who, and have a few words with them.

Mentally chasing her tail wasn't going to help the immediate situation. Better get back to work and keep up the appearance of normalcy. The seeker rose from the floor and returned to the cluttered bench. It was remarkably easy to become involved in the task again, but she'd always found it better to remain busy than to sit around brooding. The door to the small building squeaked as it swung inward.

"Hey guys. I'm sorry about earlier and…" Stormvolt said, turning to face Rumble and Frenzy but discovering Soundwave instead. "What brings you here?"

The mech had contacted Buzzsaw for a report and was informed of the seeker's peculiar behavior that bore a strong resemblance to his own. "You and I must discuss recent events."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Though painful, the blast wasn't enough to permanently damage his superior armor. Sky Lynx was facing off against Galvatron on his own. Rodimus, Blur, Perceptor and Ultra Magnus had gotten pulled through the quadrant lock in the wake of the Quintesson ship along with Cyclonus. Although gifted with magnificent powers of reasoning and observation, there wasn't an absolute way to know what had happened or if his friends survived. They'd been gone for quite some time and he couldn't follow to rescue them with the crazed Decepticon blocking the way.

"Stand aside Galvatron. You cannot keep this up forever. You'll run out of charge if you aren't destroyed first."

"Destroyed? Destroyed!? I'll show you destruction, you Autobot freak!" Galvatron raved before unleashing another explosion from his cannon and making a direct hit.

It was more than he expected, but it was a simple matter to correct his course after the shot sent him spinning. "Nice try, but you'll have to do better than that," the Autobot said, in a superior tone that gave no indication of how much that last hit had hurt or the damage it had done.

"Don't worry. I don't intend to stop until your internal components are scattered around like so many asteroids!"

How crude, although he would expect nothing less. He hated having to sink to their level, but Autobots were in danger. Brute force was the only thing Decepticons understood so he would provide it. His dignity would recover. Sky Lynx fired his boosters and rushed his opponent, transforming at the last second to grab him in his claws and violently shake him before tossing him away.

Galvatron's vision blacked out momentarily from the force of the collision and the shaking. The enemy had hit him hard. Diagnostic systems flashed warnings and he discovered that his left arm was no longer operational and the leg on that side would only work at partial capacity. Autobot fool! As long as he still functioned, Galvatron would continue to fight. The strike hadn't damaged his cannon in the least.

The Autobot thought he had possibly deactivated the tyrant, though with his amazing skill notwithstanding it should have been more difficult. He transformed back to his shuttle mode and moved in for a closer view. The Decepticon wasn't moving. It was difficult to scan for life signs because the last shot was extremely lucky and had damaged part of his sensor array. Deactivation could be highly likely after all. How could anyone this undisciplined stand against his outstanding strategizing? It came as a shock when Galvatron suddenly righted himself and unleashed a massive volley of shots.

Sky Lynx rolled hard to port but sustained several hits before getting clear. He didn't waste any words but instead returned fire. Galvatron was knocked back from his position in front of the quadrant lock and was unmoving once again, but the Autobot wasn't going anywhere near him, and why should he? He was successful in obtaining the objective. The way was clear for him to once again rescue his comrades.

xxxxx

Cyclonus was sicker of Quintessons than he'd been earlier, something he would have thought impossible. He didn't know why they had chosen to lock the inferior beings and their primitive planet away behind the quadrant lock nor did he care. The point was they had blown a wonderful opportunity to destroy the enemy's leader and one of their best warriors. Then, to top it all off, the five faced vermin tried to strand him there. He immediately launched himself in pursuit of the departing ship. If they couldn't destroy the Autobots, perhaps they could imprison them at the least. Sadly, this wasn't the case. The quadrant lock was failing and he was certain that Sky Lynx had passed them going in the opposite direction through the portal. The Quintesson ship didn't hesitate in fleeing once it was back in normal space. The mech was livid! Why did they allow those double crossing abominations to exist? His anger was short lived when his primary concern asserted itself: Where was Galvatron?

He scanned the area and found his target almost immediately. His great and powerful leader was adrift and appeared injured. As he raced to the spot he reasoned that Sky Lynx must be the one responsible, as unbelievable as it seemed. Had others shown up to assist him? That scenario made more sense. Regardless, it was unimportant right now.

"Mighty Galvatron, are you still functioning?" There was no response at first and Cyclonus was becoming concerned and then he saw the mech's optics burn slightly brighter.

"Of course I still function, you idiot! I merely need a few repairs and then I will have my revenge. I will make them all pay!" His promise of vengeance was normal, but it was obvious he could hardly move."

"Let me help you."

"Get away from me, I need no assistance!" Galvatron said, attempting to punch the other mech but lacking the strength to move fast enough to be successful. Cyclonus easily dodged the attack. "Very well. If it will stop your constant whining, I guess you can _help,_" he continued, shifting the contempt to his second in command.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The femme was not the first to find a conversation with Soundwave to be mildly disconcerting. There was no way to tell what he was feeling or if he felt anything at all. He must not be totally heartless because Rumble and Frenzy wouldn't be as loyal as they were and he'd have to be tolerant to put up with those two on a daily basis for millions of years. Did telepathy help? It would have been bizarre if he'd been there to console her, but it was quickly established that he was not. A few things remained normal, it seemed.

Without being too specific, Stormvolt told him about the dreams but left out how the voice talked to her and took over occasionally.

"Why do you want to know all this?" His questions suggested he knew about it already, but she hadn't told anyone. Was he reading her mind?

"I have been experiencing a similar phenomenon. Your information correlates with that," he said, not excited in the least on the outside. It didn't take long to tell his story. Soundwave was not a long-winded individual.

"What do you think it means?"

"I don't know." He could sense her unease and experience gave him a good idea of what was causing it. "What are you omitting?"

"Huh?"

"You are concealing more information." He didn't sound angry or threatening as he stared at her impassively.

"If I tell, can you keep it quiet?"

"Yes."

"If you blab, I will deny everything." Could she trust him? He certainly wasn't talky. She never saw him say much, even to the cassettes. In private, though, who knew? But then he was also having the same issues which strongly suggested that he was at least one of the "others" she'd been told about. The chance would have to be taken at some point, why not now?

"It all started right after I …changed," she began.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Chaar tasted nasty, a fact the Skuxxoid would have preferred remained unproven. He spat out another mouthful of dirt and gravel as he got to his feet. There had better be a way to get back to where he'd stashed the shuttlecraft, other than the one that got him here, because he was not doing that again. After putting enough distance between himself and the guard post it was time for one more steep climb. The tops of the small mountains had larger, sturdier chunks of rock and were fairly stable. Unfortunately he was exposed there and didn't want to stay too long. A quick glance around verified that no one else was about, so he quickly began the descent. The alien leaned sideways and sort of hopped his way along. It worked okay at first, but then he built up too much momentum and the ground slid out from under him again. He fought to stay upright, but wound up on his belly, body surfing on a small avalanche of rock and dirt. The mountainside made a minor effort to kill him, but he was able to thrash his way out of the suffocating pile of filth. There were rocks and dusty soil in his ears, eyes, nose and mouth and it was several minutes before he could continue on his way, swearing in his native language as he did it. The only good to come out of it was that he was heavily camouflaged now.

The going was much easier on solid ground, and he made much better progress though he stopped often to check around for additional outposts. Once, he had to hide when he heard another aircraft coming. It never came into view, but the sound was headed back toward the area he'd recently left. Interesting. There was a pattern. That and the guard post told him he was on the right path and eventually a large structure came into view. It looked like a roof with no walls. The alien stared through the small telescope but couldn't figure it out. Why would anyone want to protect a ditch? It didn't rain here. There didn't appear to be anyone around at first, but then two figures emerged onto the surface. One was the Decepticon he saw earlier and the other was a Constructicon. The first transformed back to his vehicle mode and then waited as the other loaded several small objects into the passenger compartment. Despite the scope, he was too far away to make out exactly what it was but it resembled rocks. What could they possibly be doing with rocks? Maybe it was something else. A sample was required and it should be enough to keep his employers happy. The hard part would be getting it.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx 

"Does this make me as crazy as Galvatron or crazier?" Stormvolt asked. It was a relief to finally tell someone about the voice and what it was maybe doing. Soundwave wouldn't have been her first choice but she could be certain he wouldn't laugh at her. He might be more devoid of humor than Cyclonus, which was no small feat.

"Insanity unlikely," the mech replied. There was far more going on here. He did not experience the anomalies with recharging until after the femme arrived. Furthermore, why would it afflict him out everyone? Well, not only him. Whatever it was had used the seeker's energy to temporarily seize control of Galvatron. This bizarreness had to have a logical explanation. So far, he knew that Megatron had done something to the human that rendered her a machine and now she could communicate with him despite his being reformatted. He or it had also gotten stronger after arriving on Chaar, sometimes taking control of the femme when the situation was necessary to ensure survival. It had shown no interest in controlling Soundwave it only demanded his assistance. This was not a delusion. There were other things he needed to know, but as he was about to ask, he noticed the flier scowl.

"Stormvolt here," she said. Communicators were the worst when it came to interrupting. It was Cyclonus and incredibly, he sounded rattled.

Soundwave watched as her scowl turned to surprise.

"Acknowledged. Departing now." It figured. About the time she finally made some progress with this mess, the center of it all goes off and gets wounded. "I gotta go," she said to the mech as she ran for the door, not explaining nor waiting for a response.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

**Author's notes continued:** As I said, I was presented with the perspectives of some readers last time who didn't really agree with how I was going about some of this and requested I reply. We've all got opinions. I am not a total purist and think if you make everyone so totally evil or good that there's no room for anything else at all, the characters become one dimensional. Evil has as many variations and subtleties as anything else and it is very good at disguising itself.

First, it's thought that I'm making the 'Cons too emotional and sympathetic.

I think that if you have emotions, you have all of them, though these guys would tend to openly express the bad ones more than any others. However, there would have to be cooperation to some degree or they would have wiped themselves out a long time ago. There's treachery and infighting going on just like always. But at the same time, I couldn't imagine hanging around the same individuals for millions of years without there being friendships. I picture Soundwave and the cassettes as the closest thing to a family and being used to that kind of relationship would make Rumble and Frenzy more accepting of someone new if they were non-hostile. Also, they kind of seem like kids in some ways and would be interested in things that are new and weird and possibly gross. I see Thrust as less of a jerk because of formerly being the only seeker and taking a lot of abuse from the others. Keep in mind too that they have hit very hard times and this would change some attitudes.

There is a reason why most of the rest of them are subdued and kind of dumb on Chaar. That will be explained in the story eventually.

Second is a concern that I'm making Megatron too nice. He's one evil bastard for sure but there's more to being evil than force and overt nastiness. He's smart and patient. He'd know when to lie and manipulate and sweet talk someone, especially when his own position was extremely precarious and he was forced to be reliant upon another, the way he is right now. Particularly if that was his _only_ option. And I don't feel he's totally incapable of liking someone, however that like wouldn't be enough to save them if it came down to his life or theirs. He wouldn't flinch or hesitate to toss them to the wolves. There might even be a little regret afterwards but it would be _extremely_ short lived.

It's also been suggested that Erica/Stormvolt is a bit dopey. I don't know if the reviewer read Come Around or not. She's not dumb, just in an overwhelming situation. You have to imagine being a human and randomly grabbed and forced to live amongst a bunch of hostile, giant machines. You are cut off from everything and everyone. You have one source for answers and no idea that he's lying to you for fun. He always seems to be right about everything so why wouldn't you believe what you were told? What would be the purpose in lying to you? It isn't as though you have some magic power that would tip events in anyone's favor. Besides, there are other concerns. There's not much free time and a lot to learn. You have to adapt and survive in your new home. In doing so, you manage to make a few friends who would mean a lot because they'd be the only ones you have. Humans can't seem to not form emotional attachments. After a while this would be normal and you'd stop asking so many questions. Things might happen that would suggest other possibilities but it wouldn't be enough to convince you. And then one day you're a machine yourself and totally alone. These developments bring an entirely new set of obstacles and one just leads to another.

As for what happens regarding the Headmaster/Targetmaster story line…nothing. I hated that entire concept and I'm not going to use it.


	26. Into the Fire

Author's Note: Thanks for reading. Transformers belongs to Hasbro and Takara, not me.

A Blessing and A Curse  
By: Quetzal1

Chapter 25  
Into the Fire

xxxxx

Stormvolt boarded the _Vengeance_ with a heavy sense of trepidation. She had gotten there as fast as possible, fearing the worst. Galvatron must have been hurt badly for Cyclonus to sound as worked up as he had when he'd summoned her. But then it _was_ their leader they were talking about, and any emotion the second in command showed was amplified many times over in that case. A loud crash echoed down the corridor causing her to walk faster.

"REVENGE WILL BE MINE! DO YOU HEAR ME? MINE!" Galvatron roared. Hmmm. Pretty lively for someone who was supposed to be seriously injured. The femme carefully and quietly entered the repair bay.

"Lord Galvatron, please. You must remain calm until your wounds are attended to," Cyclonus said, from the relative safety of his position far out of reach of the tyrant. He held both hands out in a placating gesture that would also allow him to bat away any more projectiles flung in his direction. Several instrument trays were scattered about his general area but none had come too close, as Galvatron's aim wasn't in top form at the moment. Still, it was always wiser to be prepared.

"Don't tell me what I _must_ do," Galvatron snarled. "Not unless you want to receive the same punishment as I am going to deliver to those miserable, interfering slaggers." He was sitting on the repair table and it was obvious from his awkward motions that his left side was almost totally immobilized.

"Who are you going to punish?" Stormvolt asked quietly, but with enthusiasm. Keen interest (or in her case pretended interest) in the mech's crackpot schemes usually improved his mood. Perhaps too, her sudden appearance would be enough of a distraction to calm him a little.

"Why the Autobots, you moron," Galvatron said, suddenly turning his burning glare upon her. Oh, of course! She should have known. It made much more sense than, you know, going after an enemy who was actively trying to do them harm.

"Are they responsible for your injuries?"

"Yes." The mech said, and then eyed her suspiciously. "What are _you_ doing here?"

"I was…summoned to repair you," she said, glancing at Cyclonus apologetically.

"Is that so?" Galvatron replied, turning back to the other mech who was slowly approaching but carefully remaining beyond his grasp.

"I only wished for you to receive the best care available. Her work is better than anything Hook could do."

Hook would certainly disagree with that assessment. Or maybe not, given his current condition. The femme was sure that if the Constructicon was his old self, he'd unquestionably be much more difficult to surpass. Still, it was nice that her skills were thought of so highly.

"Well then, I guess we will find out and I will hold _you_ personally responsible for the results, Cyclonus," Galvatron said, with his standard hateful smile before switching his focus back to the seeker. "But don't feel left out, my dear. You will share in the punishment if there are any mistakes."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Deadend wanted to hurry but caution was advised. He peered around the corner of yet another shattered building and saw no one. Scans didn't reveal anything either. He was hesitant to trust his own systems. That would be just his luck: an electronic glitch that got him caught. The Stunticon wasn't afraid of Swindle, but Brawl was another matter. Occasionally the two of them were together, not often as Swindle's underhanded dealings made it necessary for him to be alone usually, but enough that Deadend would take extra care. Once satisfied that the area was safe, he began to advance on a group of large blocks that appeared to be randomly piled to one side of a nearby ruin. Closer inspection showed that the outsized bricks were fairly clean as opposed to those that hadn't been disturbed since the destruction of Chaar and were coated in loose dirt and small bits of debris. Moving a couple of them aside revealed more stones set into the ground. Those had undoubtedly been a floor at some point. In the middle of that was a trapdoor.

xxx

He had found out about the spot purely by accident. One day he'd been wandering the area and sat down to take a break behind the remains of a low wall. After a while, quiet, furtive noises came to his audio sensors. A cautious peek between the crumbling bricks revealed the sneaky Combaticon trying to move a bunch of blocks as quickly and quietly as possible. What was he doing? It was a commonly known fact that Swindle would avoid manual labor like a raging case of the scraplets. In fact he would put so much effort into getting out of work, he could have saved more time by simply doing the assigned task. He watched, zooming his optics in and then saw the reason for the curious actions. It was a great hiding place, but what was being hidden? Swindle glanced around and then produced a stack of compressed energon cubes, quickly stowing them out of sight. He immediately began replacing the camouflage over the hole. Deadend wanted to chuckle (an extremely rare event for him.) There was ol' Swindle, busting his aft side, thinking he was clever and never knowing he'd been found out. Didn't he know this always happened? After a bit, the Combaticon took to the air and left. His stash of energon remained safe. Deadend decided to save his knowledge and use it when his situation was _really_ bad, and he was confident it would happen. Things always got worse.

xxx

The mech quickly glanced all around him before kneeling and opening the door. If it was empty, he didn't know what he'd do next, but for a change, his luck was in. Resting at the bottom of the hidden space were four glowing cubes of high grade energon, which was even better than what was expected. That rotten Swindle, hiding a stash like this and not sharing. The Stunticon's indignation over this slight was easily aroused, although if he were to come into possession of such a thing under ordinary consequences, he'd keep it to himself too. Three cubes should do the trick. He considered taking the fourth but it was more than he'd need. It didn't take long to replace the blocks and erase his tracks. Of course once this theft was discovered, the hiding place wouldn't be used again. Not by Swindle, anyway. Eventually someone else might discover it, thinking they were the first. Nevertheless, keeping up appearances would delay anyone knowing about it.

The cubes glowed brightly and Deadend admired them a moment, wondering how Swindle had acquired them. It further proved the futility of it all. The Combaticon had probably put in a lot of work doing whatever he did to get them and now it was mostly gone. Too bad, but his own continued existence was more important than the petty thuggery of his colleague. If the idea worked, then he'd get Motormaster's information and hopefully they would leave him alone. Yeah, no chance. Success only created more work and here it was the only option he had. Frag.

xxxxxxxxxxxx

It was quite the predicament to be in. The Skuxxoid had managed to slink his way close to the mine entrance. He was certain that's what it was judging by what he saw and from the noises emanating from beyond the ramp that descended into the gloom. He also knew what they were mining…kind of.

Thus far the chunk of stone had gone unnoticed. Earlier it had been dropped there in the dust and no one had seen it, either that or they didn't care. From his hiding place the alien could clearly see the glowing red lines within it and his curiosity was piqued. At first it wasn't enough to overtake his natural cowardliness, but the longer he stood peering at it from around the side of a large boulder, the more his greed began to supplant his fear. Perhaps it was valuable and he could make a nice black market bonus once he showed it to his employers. The trouble was, it was squarely in front of the mine ramp opening and there was nothing to use as cover. Anyone attempting to grab the prize would be totally exposed for several seconds. It would be bad enough to be caught sneaking around here and worse to be caught stealing. He listened and only heard muffled clanks from within the mine and no talking or engines approaching. This could be the perfect opportunity. The alien glanced around and carefully began to ease himself out from behind the boulder and into the open area. He had covered a quarter of the distance he needed to go, congratulating himself on his keen observation skills as he went, when he remembered something. When they flew in robot mode, the hulking machines were practically silent. In fact, one or more of them could be headed his way... RIGHT NOW! He just about fell as he suddenly reversed direction and awkwardly scuttled back to the safety of his hiding spot.

He peered around the edge of the largest rock. Nothing. He needed to get a grip on himself. In the time he had wasted so far, he could have grabbed the rock and been on his way back to the shuttle. This was stupid. No one was coming, it was safe. He'd zip out, grab the rock and get out of here. The Skuxxoid took a few deep breaths to calm himself and began the process again. The next attempt had taken him about halfway to his objective when he heard voices.

"You think Soundwave's doin' any good?" Frenzy asked.

"I don't know. I hope. Findin' out all of that has gotta be a shock," Rumble replied. If they had happened to glance to the left as they stepped onto the surface, they would have seen a gray blur dive behind a large grouping of rocks.

"I think we're in the clear, though, cuz we honestly didn't know Megatron was tellin' her all that."

"Yeah, but you gotta hand it to him. It worked slicker than axle grease. And some of it's funny. C'mon, evil Autobots?"

Would you guys please GO AWAY?! The Skuxxoid thought. He didn't dare risk a look and besides, he could hear the small 'bots well enough to know they were still around. Their discussion held no interest for him. The only thing that mattered was the rock with the odd glowing stripes.

"I was thinkin'," Frenzy said. "What do we do about the other problem?"

"I dunno. You heard Soundwave. Maybe we should mind our own business," Rumble said in an uncharacteristic cautionary tone.

"Maybe, but do ya really want to?"

"No."

"Glad ta hear it, because I got an idea."

"Which is…?"

"Now don't take this wrong, but I was noticin' that if you compare Soundwave to Cyclonus, there's a couple of similarities,"

"Like what, cuz I ain't seein' it,"

"Okay first…" Frenzy got no further in his explanation before being interrupted by someone approaching a high rate of speed. It was Deadend. He was developing a gift for being a nuisance to the small duo.

"Just the 'bots I wanted to see," he said, switching back to his robot mode.

"What's up?" Rumble asked. The Stunticon looked awfully happy to see them. Ick! What if Frenzy was right and he was gettin' ideas too?

Deadend peered around and saw no one else, but this would be best done out of sight. "Are you guys busy right now?"

"No. Why?"

"You have got to see what I found."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Initially Stormvolt had difficulty concentrating on her job. Galvatron, in his infinite paranoia, refused to go offline while the repairs were made. He did consent to having neurocouplers temporarily disconnected as the femme worked but it didn't put her mind at ease. The mech had some components she didn't recognize right away because of their design and placement and that made it hard to be certain that the disconnects would eliminate any pain. That Unicron had made a lot of internal design changes compared to what she was used to seeing. She was able to figure them out with thought and gentle examination, but it slowed everything.

Fortunately, the damage wasn't as bad as feared upon first glance. Much of the immobility was caused by various sections of armor being bent inward until they blocked gears and actuators. There were severed connections and kinked energon conduits, but a complicated system of lines and valves had already rerouted the fuel. Removing the worst of the dents from the crumpled armor also dragged things out further. During the entire process Galvatron was staring at her like he was willing her to mess up, thereby giving him an excuse to smack her around. That was a pointless fear since he could do whatever he wanted simply because he felt like it. A reason wasn't required. Nevertheless, the seeker was trying very hard to do a perfect job. As much as she could get beat up, Cyclonus would have it even worse and he didn't need any of that.

The second in command had provided assistance with fixing the armor, but mostly stood back out of the way and observed. With Galvatron watching, any attempt at sabotage would be suicide although Cyclonus didn't worry much about it at all. She had received many opportunities for treachery and hadn't taken any of them. He was beginning to trust her, although not totally. Given their current fortunes and his nature, it just wasn't in him to do so. No, not yet, but it wasn't inconceivable that it would happen in the future. All the panels and plating had been replaced everywhere except on left forearm. There was delicate circuitry to be reconnected and a few lines to hook up. He shifted his view to their leader who was still glaring down at Stormvolt. The crimson optics were glowing more brightly than before. It gave him a twinge of anxiety but he reminded himself that it wasn't necessarily a bad sign.

Galvatron was unaware of being observed. He felt better physically, but his mind remained the tangled mess it was before. He watched as he was gradually restored to full operating capacity. The similarities between the seeker and his human were still there. At one point she had come upon something that required further thought and had leaned back and rested one hand on the back of her neck with her arm tucked in beside her head. Erica used to do that too. What had he done to her right before she died? He could remember most of that day up until that point. It wasn't anything he had given much thought until the freakish resemblance became obvious to him. Any effort made to recover those lost memories (or any lost memories) resulted in terrible suffering. But…he was gradually beginning to overcome it in tiny increments.

What had he done? The human was unconscious and dying, and he had stood there waiting for her end. In that state she wouldn't have known if he left or not, but it was such a small thing for him to remain there as she had requested. Scans told him it would be quite soon and there wasn't much else for him to do as he waited for the rest of his troops to arrive. As he lingered, the idea came to him out of nowhere… What was it?

Sensation returned to his arm from the shoulder to the elbow joint. Repairs were nearly complete. The femme carefully picked up a braided metal line that contained the repair fluid and reconnected it to a routing block near his wrist. The system was pressurized and as the quick disconnect end of the line was snapped onto the block, a small amount of the liquid splashed outward, blocked by a hand wielding a wadded rag. Stormvolt cleaned up the slight mess it made and continued with the remaining final adjustments. She didn't see the tyrant begin to smile.

xxxxx

That was it. She was finished and Galvatron would either like it or he wouldn't. There was nothing more to do but wait. Well, that and run through the best ways to block his attacks. It was too difficult to imagine him being satisfied with her work. Stormvolt stepped back and watched as the despot sat up and held his hand out, wiggling the fingers like someone admiring their jewelry. He carefully slid off the table and tested his once damaged leg by shifting his weight around. A feeling of hope began to grow. She glanced over at Cyclonus who was already looking at her with a pleased but cautious expression. Possibly they would escape unscathed.

"It seems you haven't lost your touch," Galvatron said.

How would he know the strength of her abilities well enough to be able to judge that? Whatever, at least he wasn't pissed at her. "Is everything to your liking?"

"Yes, Stormvolt, it is. Or should I call you Erica?"

Cyclonus wasn't familiar with the meaning of to "look like a deer caught in the headlights" but he was witnessing it firsthand. The seeker's expression changed from guarded optimism to utter shock.

"What?" She asked.

"I always said you might make a good Decepticon if not for being a puny flesh creature and I was right. You didn't really think that I wouldn't figure it out, did you?" Galvatron said, continuing to check out his repairs.

The femme was dumbfounded. How did he know? How could he be so sure?

"Lord Galvatron, perhaps you should allow your systems a few moments to…normalize," Cyclonus suggested. This outburst sounded more bizarre than usual. Was one of his processors damaged in the battle and the problem still undiscovered?

"My systems are fine!" Galvatron said, outraged by the suggestion. He further underscored his displeasure by punching his faithful lieutenant in the side before continuing. "Do you think I am so stupid as to not recognize one of my own?"

"No, of course not. Forgive my ignorance, but I do not understand what is going on here." One of his own? He was claiming the flier as one who shared design and programming characteristics, the closest thing to what organics referred to as a relative? How could that be? Galvatron couldn't possibly have had any involvement in her creation.

"Why am I not surprised? But fear not, I'll tell you all about it. Try to keep up," Galvatron said, changing demeanor from angry to cheerful to disparaging in the seconds it took to walk over to the femme and stand behind her, placing his hands on her shoulders. "You are aware of my existence before the intervention of Unicron, of course. For a brief period during that time I kept a human as a sort of pet. It was presumed she died from damage sustained in battle. However, before she ceased functioning, I performed an experiment." As he described the damage and what he had done with the nanites, it all flashed through his mind as clearly as if it happened minutes ago.

"I thought it was a failure, but obviously I was mistaken."

Stormvolt felt very much like a science fair project gone horribly awry, but at long last she had an answer. Never would she have guessed that her metamorphosis was caused by billions of microscopic machines. But what did it mean? Was she like his kid or some other style of relative or neither? She tried not to squirm away from Galvatron as he blathered on, still standing behind her. It made her uneasy to have him that close and out of sight where she would be unable to block if he were to have a sudden mood swing and decide to harm her. She didn't like it, but it would have bothered her much more if not for another, worse, development commanding her concern. Cyclonus was staring at her and showing no trace of his earlier pleased expression. In fact, his reaction reminded the flier of the way people look when they discover they've stepped in dog crap.

Even when happy, Cyclonus appeared as though he were about to do something spiteful. It wasn't his fault, it was the way his face was constructed. The expression that was mistaken for disgust, was, instead, confusion mixed with awe. It was all but too much for him to comprehend. The explanation didn't allow him to understand it entirely but what he did know was that his almighty master was yet more powerful than he had previously thought. Was there no end to his ability? Whether or not he totally understood, it did explain a lot and she wasn't denying it.

"Is this true? You were actually a human?" Cyclonus asked.

The seeker came across as tired and embarrassed before nodding in the affirmative. "Yeah," she said. Damn, there goes the ball game. Galvatron seemed okay with her origins, (he wasn't acting upset as far as she could tell) but this would surely be one of those differences that couldn't be resolved Cyclonus had mentioned when he declared his interest in her. If she were allowed to live, he would probably relegate her to the ranks of the others.

"Why are you asking her? Did I not just tell you?" Galvatron demanded, leaving his spot and advancing on the other mech. The femme was prepared for the confrontation to end in a beat down, but not for what was said next. "And you can wipe that look off your faceplate, oh sparkless wonder. Considering that you are nothing but a reanimated carcass, I don't think you have any reason to consider yourself superior!"

The blue and silver 'bot had considered the possibility that Cyclonus was one of the others who were jettisoned into space with Megatron, but not that they were dead when the change took place. Could he truly be sparkless, or was it only Galvatron being a dick? It was a shocking idea to contemplate, but it didn't stop her from feeling bad for him. The mech shot a quick glance in her direction and appeared absolutely humiliated to have this knowledge flung out into the open. If anyone other than their whack job leader had said it, he likely would have killed them. As it was, the tyrant was smirking cruelly and acting as though he was thoroughly enjoying the pain he caused. Shit, could this day get any worse?


	27. Truth and Consequences Part 1

Author's note: Thanks for sticking around. Transformers belongs to Hasbro and Takara, not me.

A Blessing and A Curse  
By: Quetzal1

Chapter 26  
Truth and Consequences (Part 1)

xxx

"Hey! Is that what I think it is?" Frenzy asked, his annoyance at being interrupted temporarily forgotten.

"Yes it is. Nothing but the best for my buddies," said Deadend with pride, despite secretly wishing he could keep it for himself.

"Honest to Primus high grade! I didn't expect to see this again for a loooooooong time." Rumble added.

While they were both happy to see some real energon, the generosity immediately raised suspicion in the minds of the cassettes. Where did this come from and why would a Stunticon be this willing to share? And why was he being sneaky about it, leading them to a spot that would be out of sight? Rumble picked up one of the cubes and turned it this way and that, pretending to admire it. Frenzy had gone to stand on the other side of Deadend and needed a brief distraction while he analyzed one of the cubes.

_This is the real thing._ Frenzy transmitted to Rumble over his communicator. The pair always kept the devices on the internal setting just for events like this.

_Are ya sure it ain't poisoned? _Rumble replied, still looking over the cube.

_Yeah, but somethin's definitely goin' on here._

_Always. If he ain't tryin' to poison us, then what? He wants to get us overenergized? Why?_

_I dunno, could be he wants to get ya good and blasted and then take advantage._

Rumble had to fight to keep his distaste from registering outwardly as well as to curb the desire to chuck the cube at his twin. Deadend was going on about his find and didn't notice anything unusual.

"What do you say? We're not going to let this go to waste are we?" Deadend asked with forced bonhomie.

"No way, that'd be a crime," Rumble said. _What do we do?_

_I got a plan, and I think you're gonna like it. _Frenzy transmitted.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Galvatron's mood was taking a sudden, hard swing in a bad direction.

"Now, in addition to morons and one time cadavers, I have a former organic in my army. Yes how, oh how, could we possibly fail?" he asked.

Cyclonus continued to maintain his disappointed yet dignified expression, saying nothing. Trying to help usually made things worse. And besides, he deserved the other mech's cruelty. It must be extremely frustrating to be so brilliant yet surrounded by so many lesser intellects.

"But don't think I'm not happy to see you," Galvatron continued, turning and slowly approaching the femme.

Stormvolt had to struggle against every instinct that was screaming at her to back away from him. She'd been warned that running only made it worse, and besides, it would be futile. Even if she escaped Galvatron, Cyclonus was far faster than she and was no doubt pissed at her. That anger would likely intensify if he had to chase her down. Besides, Galvatron didn't seem to be particularly angry with her, although that could change in an instant. But perhaps this once it would turn out okay.

"And you are much more aesthetically pleasing this way than in your organic form," he said, looking her up and down while slowly circling around to stand behind her again. The femme was beginning to discover levels of revulsion she never knew existed. "But I guess the conversion wasn't a total success."

"No?" she asked.

"No, because when you were a human, you retained lessons much better than you appear to now."

"I don't get …" the flier began to reply, but was cut off by a resounding metallic bang when Galvatron's fist met the side of her head. A few seconds later, when her vision cleared, the mech was looming over her and furious.

"It used to be I only had to tell you something once. But now, it seems you've become as dimwitted as the others!"

"I don't understand what you mean." Fuck, that was a hard hit! It wasn't as bad as the Sharkticon striking her with the axe handle but it wasn't far off. And he must have pulled his punch because her head was still attached.

"Didn't I instruct you not to lie to me?"

"But I didn't lie. I…I just didn't bring it up."

"Yes, that is called lying by omission!" Galvatron said. The seeker tried to block the next strike and received a hard enough kick to the midsection to cause her to lift from the floor and roll once in midair before falling with a crash.

"How many times… do I have to tell you… before you learn?!" Galvatron raged, pausing to deliver repeated savage kicks whenever the seeker attempted to rise.

Stormvolt was beyond trying to answer or argue. The effort would have been wasted. Now she was only concerned with surviving. She tried to stand again, expecting another kick, but it didn't come. Her armor and the thinner sheet metal had various dents and her equilibrium circuits had taken damage but were already trying to repair themselves. That was the bitch of having an aircraft alt mode, she'd found. Armor wasn't quite as thick as it was on a 'bot who was ground based because of weight concerns, and systems dealing with motion and balance were a lot touchier. She paused to see if he would continue. The damage made her reactions much slower, which rendered blocking all but impossible. She struggled to rise and managed get her legs beneath her before being grabbed by one arm and slammed against the wall.

"Is it any wonder we're forced to live in such a state when all I have to command are a bunch of freaks and rejects?" Galvatron held the femme up by the overlapping armor sections on her shoulders and bashed her against the wall over and over again as if trying to get the answers he required. The action was familiar to him.

"Nothing but failure! I should rule the universe but no…"

The tyrant released his grip and the seeker dropped to the floor, fighting hard not to go offline. He was ranting about things now that had nothing to do with her. It made for a stunning display of the depths of his insanity and it was terrifying. He stood over her for several seconds and she hoped he was about to give up.

The mech was merely pondering what to do next. He had been toying with her thus far, but now he would provide some _real_ hurt. He reached out and gently stroked her right wingtip before abruptly taking a firm grip and twisting it.

xxx

Cyclonus flinched inwardly. As a flier, he knew exactly what that had to feel like. He wanted to do something but had no idea what, and was torn as he watched the events unfold. His beloved leader was torturing the only other Decepticon that he had any true regard for. Programming conflicted with his emotions in a bewildering and objectionable way. It was not his place to interfere in Galvatron's personal business. He was their lord and master, and as such, owned them. His will was law. But although the femme should have identified herself from the beginning, it was increasingly obvious that this anger was about things beyond any influence or involvement she may have had. And it was only growing in intensity. If it didn't stop soon there was a real danger she could end up deactivated.

xxx

The seeker hissed in pain as a stabbing sensation spread from the wingtip down across the leading edge. She would rather have been kicked again.

Galvatron enjoyed her agony. It was bringing back other memories. How often in his old life had he done this kind of thing to Starscream for his many and varied transgressions? A flood of long forgotten scenes flashed through his processors. Relieving his anger on his old second in command had always been very satisfying, unlike now. Cyclonus would generally take any punishment given and acted as though he were deserving, whereas Starscream was totally different. He always started out stubbornly refusing to submit and not hiding his resentfulness but would be begging for mercy before it was over. Those were the days! He would have loved to exact a slow and terrible payment for being tossed out into space to die but there hadn't been time and he needed to firmly establish his dominance. No, blasting that traitor to ash wasn't nearly as agreeable as thrashing him to death would have been, but it served the purpose. And then his ghost came back to taunt him and further disrupt things. That wretch. Wrath and memory combined in his damaged mind to create a sort of hallucination. On some level he knew it wasn't real, but the blind, helpless rage easily overpowered any reason he still possessed. Besides, so few things brought him pleasure anymore, why not enjoy it?

"You didn't think you'd get away with it did you?" The mech asked. The deep blue wing he gripped now appeared to him as white with red and silver stripes. He twisted it further and waited for the familiar anguished cry.

"I would have told you eventually," Stormvolt grunted.

"There was nothing to tell, you traitorous disgrace."

"I'm not a traitor. I haven't done anything against you."

"Oh no? Attempting to destroy me doesn't count?"

"What do you mean? I've obeyed without question."

Galvatron twisted the wingtip harder and the metal began to creak in protest but it couldn't be heard over the pained howl of the femme.

"It is much too late to feign innocence, Starscream," he said thoughtfully and quietly. "You must pay."

"Mighty Galvatron, may I suggest…" Cyclonus said. Hearing his leader invoke the name of their most infamous traitor was the deciding factor. Obviously Galvatron was having another of his…episodes. In short, he was not himself, which meant that it wouldn't be interfering to try and calm him and get his attention away from the femme. He didn't get to finish the sentence or take more than three steps before he found himself staring down the barrel of the yellow cannon.

"No! What you _may_ do is shut up! That is, unless you'd like to be scrapped."

"But I…"

"But nothing! If I hear one more word out of you, I will burn you to cinders, is that clear?"

Cyclonus nodded once, unwilling to take a chance on his response counting as the additional word. He continued to watch, though not wanting to, as Galvatron resumed his torment of the seeker. He could do nothing to help either of them and it made him feel useless and angry.

xxx

Stormvolt heard the conversation and although it didn't cause the mech to release her, it did distract him enough that the constant pressure, and consequently the pain, on the wing let up, enabling her to briefly attempt to focus on a way out of the disaster. He thought she was Starscream, which equaled being as good as dead. The abuse thus far had resulted in pain and mainly outer structural damage. The internal repairs to touchy circuitry were progressing but kept getting set back by the new blows. So far there were no diagnostic warnings about leaks though she was pretty certain a hydraulic line was kinked or pinched because the output from the main pump was normal but her upper body moved much too slowly like the flow to the actuators was greatly reduced. Probably armor was bent in and squashing it, not unlike what she'd fixed on Galvatron. All that was minor compared to what he was doing to her wing. The metal hadn't torn but it wasn't far from it. And oh, how it hurt, a vicious combination of burning and being stabbed. As usual, she was going to refrain from begging for as long as possible. That this scenario was happening again was almost too much to take. If he was going to kill her, she would take as much fun out of it as she could. Of course she didn't have to die. There was enough of a charge to light the purple psycho up like Vegas. Possibly she could manage not to kill him, but either way, there was the not inconsiderable problem of how Cyclonus would react.

_**That would be futile. You are in no condition to escape.**_ _**I will deal with him.**_

You! Why did you wait so long? He's fucking killing me.

**_Please, he's only getting started. And it was a necessity. Your 'potential mate' had to see how badly Galvatron's mental state has deteriorated. It could be very helpful to your cause later. And you'll notice that he _is_ trying to help you. What could that mean?_**

I don't know. I'll figure it out later, just make this stop. She was hurting too much to play twenty questions with the voice. It could be that he simply wanted Galvatron to let him get in a couple of shots before she was toast. His suggestion could have been for a bizarre variety of torture. Galvatron had admitted once that Cyclonus was good at interrogating and she knew that it involved a lot more than asking questions. Damn, it was no fun being screwed six ways from Sunday.

_**Prepare yourself.**_

xxx

Galvatron turned back to his victim. The distraction hadn't been enough to end the illusion. "Now where were we? Oh yes!" He shifted his grip and began to carefully flex the damaged wingtip again. "Unpleasant isn't it?"

_**Stop it, you fool. That isn't Starscream.**_ His optics blacked out for a split second and then restarted. When they came back online, he found his old nemesis replaced by his former pet.

"Shut up and mind your own business!" The tyrant growled. Cyclonus thought he was still being addressed, despite the fact he'd said nothing further, but Stormvolt recognized the reaction plus the voltage scatter charge was beginning to drop little by little.

_**This is my business. You will release the femme or else.**_

"You don't scare me, you're dead!" He said. And to prove it he threw aside care and suddenly pulled down on the wounded appendage, tearing metal and snapping wires. The seeker thrashed and floundered backward in an attempt to escape. Her actions would have done nothing to help except that at that moment, the pain Galvatron had been free of came roaring back with authority. He released his hold on the damaged wing and clutched at his head as he fell to the polished metal floor.

_**You SHOULD fear me. You are a pathetic excuse for a ruler.**_

"STOP IT!" It felt as though a spike were being driven into his head.

_**You will not cause any further damage to her, do you understand?**_

"I will do as I please and…_AAAAAAAAUUUUUUUUUUUGGGGGGHHH H!"_ The pain was the worst ever. The imaginary spike felt like it was about to split his cranial chamber in two.

_**I don't care what you do to the rest of them, but you need her.**_

"You…don't…control me!"

_**Not entirely, but I can make your existence far more miserable than it already is. And believe me I will.**_

xxx

Stormvolt wasn't paying much attention to Galvatron. The agony of the fresh wound blocked everything else. How had Thrust kept it together after the damage he had received? The jagged tear was dripping hydraulic fluid and the pain radiated outward to encompass the entire wing. She was on her knees and leaning against the wall this one hand. The charge for voltage scatter was dropping more rapidly but she didn't care. If she hadn't been hurting so much she might have enjoyed Galvatron's suffering. It would be enough for this to be over, but was it? She glanced over at Cyclonus who was staying away from their leader but obviously wanting to help. The Megatron in her dream had told her that with Cyclonus, nothing came before Galvatron and she knew it was true. Why expect any concern from him? Surely he was through with her and would finish the job if the despot couldn't.

xxx

_**Are you going to cooperate?**_

Why should I? Galvatron had given up on speaking to his tormentor, as he didn't have the energy any longer. He did, however, summon enough strength to spite him one last time. He swung his arm back and caught the femme with a hard backhand slap that knocked her to the ground and off line. Retribution followed immediately.

_**I grow weary of your obstinacy.**_ The tyrant heard, before pain engulfed his entire frame. It hatefully continued for a number of seconds after he finally acquiesced. Blackness surrounded and suppressed him as the pain finally subsided.

The silence was enormous. Galvatron was coming out of whatever had seized him as he struggled up onto his hands and knees. He had stopped clawing at his head and the sparks shooting from that area began to ease. He turned and regarded Stormvolt, still continuing his bizarre behavior. Because he was facing away from his baffled lieutenant, the way one optic blazed as the other dimmed and flickered remained hidden. Cyclonus was certain that the beating was going to continue. He never would have expected what he saw: Instead of punching her, Galvatron reached out and gently patted the seeker on top of the head before turning away from her.

"What are you gawking at?" Galvatron asked as he got to his feet. He shook his head violently and then adjusted his posture as if he hadn't been sprawled on the floor only seconds ago.

"Are you alright?" Cyclonus asked, hoping his question wouldn't count as part of the earlier threat.

"Of course, you idiot." He glanced down at Stormvolt. "See that she is repaired. I am returning to Chaar." And then he slowly made his way to the exit.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

It was a peculiar scene and the Skuxxoid wasn't sure what to think about it. Was it an elaborate practical joke? There had to be a reason for what he was watching.

xxx

He had barely gotten back to his hiding place as the two small mechs emerged onto the surface. As if that wasn't bad enough, they were soon joined by another. Then the whole group of them quickly came to the back side of the structure covering the trench and disappeared into an opening amongst the boulders. He wouldn't have cared except for the sly way the larger one was behaving. The secrets of others could be extremely valuable now and then. The area behind the large rocks was bisected by another pile of stone, creating two spaces. It was like the wall separating motel rooms. While it kept him hidden it also allowed the alien to draw near and spy on the others. What were they up to?

The big one produced some energon from a compartment with the air of one who has pulled off the impossible. It was glowing more brightly and appeared purer than what the Quintessons provided to them. Interesting. Where else were they getting fuel? The three of them sat down, with one of the small ones sitting on either side of the big one. At first the conversation was not of any concern to the spy. It was only reminisces of a period spent on Earth, wherever that was. What he found notable was the actions of the two little mechs. The big one was directing most of his concentration at the blue one, pausing only now and then to address the red one. When the red one was unobserved we would empty a tiny amount of the energon from the cube he held into the one possessed by the larger mech. He was careful to add only tiny amounts to keep his actions unnoticeable. Very strange.

xxx

It felt like ages since Rumble had last gotten overenergized and he was on his way to making up for it, but thanks to his twin, Deadend was far ahead of him. The high grade was outstanding and due to the deprivation they had endured, it didn't take long for it to do its job.

_Slagger. I hope you're having fun. _Frenzy transmitted.

_Don't be jealous, it was your idea. _Rumble grinned and then had another slug from the now one third full energon cube. He'd been going easy on it, afraid that if he got too far gone, he would say something he shouldn't rather than tricking Deadend into the same thing.

"I tried to tell them, but you know they never listen to me until it's too late," said Deadend. He was leaning lopsidedly against a group of rocks. The high grade was affecting him more than he was expecting. The cube never seemed to get much lower than half full. Must be his imagination.

"Yeah but, why were they doin' that?" Rumble asked, smacking Deadend on the arm to get his attention. They had already heard this story concerning why the other Stunticons were out in the guard posts, but it was necessary to keep up the distraction. It was shocking how beautifully the ruse had worked. The mech was getting awfully talky and eventually they would start to gently question him.

"Oh, you know. Because Motormaster thinks he's gonna take over somed-" Deadend suddenly quit speaking in mid word. Had he said too much?

Rumble glanced at Frenzy who nodded and grinned like a lunatic. There wasn't any mention of taking over in the previous account of this story, only the usual resentments at having to obey someone they deemed unworthy. Of course it could be speculation, but the way Deadend suddenly quit speaking suggested otherwise.

"But never mind those guys," Deadend said, abruptly trying to change the subject. "What kind of project do you have going on with that seeker?"

"What do you care? Ya know, I'm startin' ta think ya got a case of the hotwires for her," Frenzy said.

"Yeah, ya do don't ya?" Rumble accused.

"What?! That's disgusting!" Deadend said, genuinely appalled. Like many of his ground-based brethren, he had a healthy, irrational dislike of fliers. The idea! Himself and one of _them._

"So why all the questions?" Rumble maintained the teasing note in his voice to keep the true motive of the query hidden and to keep Deadend flustered.

"I don't know. I only thought maybe you found out was her story was. All we know is she spends a lot of time around Galvatron and that bunch. Is she one of them?"

"Who's 'we'?" Frenzy asked.

"Uh, you know,… the rest of us," Deadend said awkwardly. "Not everybody hangs around with a mind reader like you do, so we have to guess. What's the deal? Is she one of Galvatron's fanatics?"

"Nah. She just doin' what she's gotta do to get by," Rumble said carefully, inwardly reminding himself to not say too much.

"But she's pretty close to Thrust, right?"

"Thrust? Really? Where'd you hear that?" Rumble asked.

"Oh around. Vortex saw them talking, I think." Deadend said, then shifted his weight uncomfortably. Perhaps he shouldn't have mentioned Vortex. He proceeded to drain the cube so he wouldn't have to say anything else. Hopefully they would change the subject. He tossed the empty container over another pile of rock. The fragging things were everywhere.

Since when did Stunticons get along with Combaticons? "Eww. You're hangin' out with Vortex?" Frenzy asked with frank disapproval, swaying forward drunkenly, even though he'd only had a taste of the high grade before sneaking the rest of it to Deadend. Maintaining the act was important.

"Yeah! I can't stand those guys and you're pallin' around with 'em?" Rumble added with disgust, leaning hard to one side and then pushing himself upright again.

Uh oh. If they stopped associating with him that would mean serious trouble, Deadend thought, fearing what would happen when he told his team leader. He had to keep them friendly toward him.

"No! No, it's not like that! I only talk to him because Motormas…I mean..."

"What's going on here?" A new voice demanded. It was a Sweep. Despite his dislike of them, Deadend was actually happy to see him.

"We were taking a little break, is that okay?" Rumble said, belligerently.

"You're not here to enjoy yourselves. Get back to work!"

"Alright, alright, don't get your diodes in a bunch." Frenzy said, genuinely irked that they were so close to finding out something good only to have a stupid Sweep glitch it all up. Still though, they had new information for Soundwave now.

xxx

After many moments of quiet, the Skuxxoid dared to breathe again. He had been warned to be especially careful of Galvatron's loyal minions. When the Sweep arrived his heart nearly stopped. Its approach was silent and if that thing had flown in from any other angle, he would have been spotted. He made his way carefully over to where he could observe the opening to the mine again. His legs still felt weak and shaky from the scare of his almost being discovered and he had to skirt the discarded cube that had been thrown over the wall.

The Ranazite was still there in the dirt but unfortunately the Stunticon was keeping it company. He was sitting there in his alt mode waiting. Shortly he was joined by a large, bright yellow mech who proceeded to load the passenger compartment with more of the red striped rocks. It was a brief process and soon the vehicle was on its way. The larger 'bot watched briefly, observing the curious way the other seemed unable to travel in a straight line for long, before shrugging it off and returning to his duties.

As he turned to proceed back down the ramp, his foot contacted the errant chunk of Ranazite and sent it flying to the side. He didn't notice that nor did he hear the muffled yelp when it bounced off a large boulder and into the Skuxxoid's shin.

The alien hopped up and down, holding his wounded leg before stopping to inspect it carefully. His tough, leathery hide hadn't sustained any real damage but it still hurt. His pain, however, was quickly forgotten when he saw what hit him. He gazed at the stripes within the rock. The glow was constant but it emitted no heat. Oh well, who cared? The important thing was he could finally get out of here if he could make it back to the hidden shuttlecraft. He shoved the object into his knapsack and furtively began to move away from the mine.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Diagnostic messages crawled across the bottom of Stormvolt's vision. Her optics hadn't come totally back on line yet and the yellow symbols showed up brightly against the black. All hydraulic and energon transfer systems were normal. Equilibrium circuits were 90 percent repaired and climbing. Navigation components were fine, weapon systems were functional except that the voltage scatter charge was more or less gone. All other circuitry tested normal. At the moment her wing didn't hurt either. Galvatron hadn't killed her, not yet anyway. Perhaps he wanted her to be conscious for the entire process. Her newly repaired systems indicated she was in a horizontal position. Where was she? As optics came online the femme saw a framework that held multiple lights, all of them off except for one. It was her first time seeing things from a patient's viewpoint on the table in the repair bay. The main lighting was turned down and it was eerily quiet. Was she alone? She struggled a bit, raising herself enough to lean on one elbow. Cyclonus was sitting only a few feet away at another, smaller table. The oxidizing laser pistol he carried was placed upon it within easy reach. Shit. His optics burned brighter as he scowled at her.

"You will start at the beginning and you will tell me _everything_," he said, quietly.


	28. Truth and Consequences Part 2

Author's note: Thanks for reading and commenting and such. Transformers belongs to Hasbro and Takara, but not me.

A Blessing and A Curse  
By: Quetzal1

Chapter 27  
Truth and Consequences Part 2

xxx

Soundwave had returned to the mine after the femme left to attend to whatever business she was summoned for. On the way out of the makeshift mine headquarters, he had looked over the refining device. It was steadily progressing as Rumble had advised. Involvement with the project would have been a pleasant diversion, although that sort of thing wasn't his specialty, but there was plenty for him to do elsewhere that made full use of his talents. And now he had all the new information he'd just received to ponder.

Scourge had returned to a supervisory capacity, which freed Soundwave for other tasks such as inspecting the communication signal amplifier. Cyclonus had decided early on that being cut off from those above ground was too risky. It would be bad if there were an attack by the Autobots (unlikely as that was) or another force, and it would be worse if Galvatron couldn't contact them. No one wanted him to come find them. Soundwave had been instructed to build a device that would boost incoming comm signals and also let them transmit. It hadn't been difficult for him at all and it was a fortunate thing it was there, as it had allowed the femme to call for assistance and for him to be able to reach Rumble. Nevertheless, as with most of their equipment these days, it was cobbled together from junk and required regular monitoring. If it were to malfunction the last thing anyone needed was for someone less qualified than he to attempt repairs, perhaps with a rock. There were unofficial jobs too. When he wasn't watching the device he was able to continue his ongoing observations.

It had not escaped his notice that after their relocation to Chaar, the others had undergone a slow deterioration. Those who had talent gradually began to lose focus and forgot some of their most basic abilities. Things that were once second nature were becoming difficult. Others who were unstable to begin with were growing more unruly, such as the Stunticons. Except for Deadend. He seemed to have improved. Stranger still, there were several who appeared unaffected like himself. His cassettes were functioning normally and Scourge, the Sweeps and Cyclonus didn't act any differently than usual, but with them, it was hard to tell for certain.

In any case, on occasions when there was nothing demanding his immediate attention he would study the others, now and then letting his variety of telepathy drift outward and pickup stray feelings and impulses. There hadn't been time to do an in depth analysis of the data but he was almost certain a number of them were showing more organized and focused thoughts. The Constructicons were prime examples. They'd been as adrift as anyone else but now some of the old form was returning to the ones that had it. Scrapper and Hook were both coming up with ways to make things run more efficiently and Mixmaster was experimenting with items found during excavation and having success rather than trying to continue to create new compounds by using the same rocks and debris that littered the planet and getting nowhere.

The telepath leaned against a wall and casually glanced over the other mechs. There weren't enough of the others around to tell how widespread it was. The Combaticons were nowhere near and the other Stunticons were too far away as well. Astrotrain was somewhat livelier than before but that only led to picking fights with the others. What would be the cause of this newfound concentration and what made them lose it to begin with? A familiar sensation pulled him from his reverie. His cassettes were near.

"Heeeeeeyyy, Soundwave! What's shakin'?" Rumble asked. It took only a fraction of a second to realize what was off about the small 'bot. He was overenergized. Frenzy, who was experiencing the same condition, though a milder version, laughed at him.

_What did you do? _Soundwave transmitted silently to the pair.

"Oh, you'll never believe this…," Rumble said before Frenzy elbowed him. "Ow! What was that for?"

"Why don'tcha tell everybody while you're at it?" Frenzy said. He'd noticed curious glances in their direction when they had entered the chamber in such obviously high spirits.

"What? Oh, right!" Rumble said, realizing his error and then switching to the transmitter.

_You'll never believe this._

_You said that already, _Frenzy interrupted. The Sweep hadn't seen the remaining one third full energon cube when he'd barged in on them, because Rumble had set it aside as he was picking on the Stunticon. Frenzy felt it was rightfully his since his share had been sacrificed in the name of screwing with Deadend, and he chugged it down as soon as the Sweep was out of sight. It wasn't a lot but he was feeling it.

_Shut up! Who's tellin' this?_ Rumble said indignantly, and then took an awkward swat at his twin.

_Enough. What happened?_ Soundwave demanded. If he didn't keep them in line, the two of them would soon be fighting each other. That was standard procedure and they would be laughing about it later but there was no sense in drawing attention. He already knew from the thoughts and feelings they projected that it involved Deadend, but he wanted specifics.

_That slaggin' Deadend tried to get us to talk by usin' some high grade._

_What did he want to know?_

_More of the same. You know, what I was doin' with Stormvolt and if she was in with Galvatron and those guys._

_Yeah, but here's the best part: We tricked him. Rumble kept him distracted and I kept puttin' more energon in his cube and he didn't even notice,_ Frenzy said with malicious glee.

_He didn't know what hit him. And we found out a few things and coulda got more, but a Sweep broke up the party,_ said Rumble.

_And what did he divulge? _Soundwave was amused and proud as he viewed the two grinning mechs. It wasn't a terribly sophisticated scheme but it had worked and their target was none the wiser, presumably.

_He was talkin' about how the other Stunticons tried to stand up to that Sweep only this time he started to say somethin' about how Motormaster thinks he's gonna take over someday._

The telepath was hoping for something more definitive but it made sense.

_Oh, and he's also been hangin' around with Vortex. Can you believe it?_ Frenzy added.

_Yeah, and he said that was because of Motormaster too._

Interesting. Soundwave already knew from Ravage's prior spying that the Stunticon leader and Vortex associated with one another and that Vortex and members of both groups had attacked Thrust. It suggested an alliance. They were still interested in the femme for whatever reasons and evidently Deadend was involved as a result of Motormaster's command. Obviously his clumsy attempted befriending of Rumble and Frenzy was related. This required more thought. And it would be better to continue the questioning once these two were back to normal.

_Check it out Frenzy. I betcha I can hit Scavenger in the head with that rock from way back here._

_No ya can't!_

_Stop. Inciting violence is inadvisable._

_Aw, Soundwave, where's your sense of humor?_ Frenzy asked.

_Irrelevant. There is nothing for you to do here right now. You should resume your work on the refinery. The femme is likely to return soon._ He needed to get them to a place where they would be less apt to cause trouble until the high grade was absorbed.

_She went somewhere? Did Buzzsaw follow like he was supposed to? _Rumble asked.

_Negative. She was summoned._

_So did talking to her do any good?_

_Affirmative._

Both of the small mechs were used to a lack of detail in Soundwave's replies and didn't bother to ask for any elaboration.

_What do ya think about ol' Stormvolt anyway?_ Frenzy asked slyly.

_There are worse allies you two could have._

They might easily fool Deadend, but the telepath was another matter. Occasionally he had caught odd waves of intelligence from the red mech after they had told him of Cyclonus's interest in the seeker. Soundwave was all but certain that he was being promoted, or would be soon, as a replacement for the second in command. It was amusing but he wasn't interested nor was the seeker, of that he was certain. There was only one for him and that had ended long ago in the days when he was still in the employ of the Senate on Cybertron. The cassettes didn't know about any of that. And why should they? No, he had no desire for another. However, he wouldn't discourage them. It was a harmless project and it would hopefully keep them occupied and out of mischief.

_Now return to the refinery. _Soundwave said.

_Alright, we're going. _Rumble said. It was an agreeable idea. If no one was there, he could catch a recharge. And also find out why Frenzy had such a devious look on his faceplate.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Give me one good reason why should I tell you a damn thing?" Stormvolt asked, sitting up and glaring at him defiantly.

"Because I am your superior officer and I order you to," Cyclonus said. He hadn't planned to take such a stern position, but the unexpected hostility directed toward him did not bring out the little charm he possessed.

"Please. If you're going to kill me then do it and let's skip the dramatics," she said gesturing at the laser. There was no chance of escaping, so it was best to get it over with. And he could kiss her ass, the story would remain a mystery.

"I was merely cleaning that while I waited for you to come back on line." It was the truth. The mech was not one to sit around idle when there was anything useful to be done. The weapon hadn't received proper care in many cycles and there might not be an opportunity again anytime soon. He stood and picked up the laser, adjusting a knob on the side before storing it away.

"Furthermore, Why would I bother with repairs if I were going to eliminate you?" He asked, trying to sound calmer.

Repairs? What did he….? And then the femme realized that she was moving without the binding and slow actions. She looked down to find slight bent places along the edges of the sections of metal around her middle. There were also dents courtesy of their esteemed leader but they were nothing like before. It wasn't the prettiest work but it was effective and she could improve on it later. The mending on her wing was harder to see. There was a shiny patch tack welded on and no doubt another like it on the backside. The edges were coated with corrosion inhibitor and it was likely all over the wound itself. Shit, it was a good thing she was out when he did that. The femme carefully, but awkwardly, reached out and poked at the patch. It was hard to get to and involved twisting the arm on that side around, which made it difficult to use a light touch. The pain was muted a great deal over what it was previously but it still hurt like hell.

"Yow! Damn it!" She said, jerking her hand away. Still, though, it was fortunate that she had to endure only that. If Galvatron had punched a fist through her wing and the light collector panels within, it would have been a lot more serious and painful.

"That is merely a temporary measure. When the metal beneath has joined back together, I will remove the patch," Cyclonus said. "It should not take long." If he had known who and what she was, perhaps they could have found a way to tell Galvatron without angering him, thereby avoiding the entire incident. He wondered if the femme had any idea how lucky she was that her damage wasn't far worse.

xxx

He knew more than the standard procedures for basic battlefield maintenance and repair, although not much more, but fortunately most of the damage was similar to that which he had dealt with on other occasions. The mech had carefully moved the femme from the floor to the table. Her wings and the damage that kept her from moving freely made it awkward.

Having seen an external monitor connected to Scourge after his encounter with the Quintesson made it easier for Cyclonus to do the same to his charge. The readouts on the screen and lack of alarms quickly told him that there was damage but nothing life threatening. Her internal diagnostics should be able to handle it. That was a good thing because there were plenty of other injuries that would not fix themselves.

He carefully pried apart the overlapped pieces of metal that Galvatron's repeated kicks had bashed in which would restore her full range of motion. There were other dings and scrapes that required corrosion inhibitor. Most of these repairs were easy but still lengthy because there were so many. The biggest challenge to his skill had been the torn wingtip.

That had taken some time, although much of it was because of his hesitance and extreme care. Work of a delicate nature was not something that he was intended for. He carefully labored over the wounded appendage, reconnecting wires that ran to the navigation lights and fixing a broken energon tube before attempting the most difficult part. He examined the injury and gingerly ran his fingertips over the jagged edges of the ripped metal. How it must have hurt! And despite that fact she had continued to try to reason with Galvatron rather than begging him to stop. It was the behavior of a warrior, no question.

Cyclonus stood there staring at her offline form for many minutes after he was finished. Galvatron could do as he liked with any of them, which was his right as their ruler, he reasoned, but even telling himself this, he was still ambivalent. His feelings for the femme were still a new and strange thing but they were also becoming more powerful. Her true origins were shocking, yes, but he concentrated very hard on the idea and realized he didn't care. None of them were what they were. Why should she be any different?

xxx

"You did all this?" Stormvolt asked.

"Yes."

"Why?"

"Galvatron's orders."

"Oh. I should have known," she said, her expression falling at the news.

"I would have undertaken repairs even if he had not specified I do so."

"Yeah? Because you want to get in some shots of your own?"

"Notice that in addition to being repaired you are not restrained in any manner nor have you been disarmed. This would not be the case were I going to destroy you." He didn't call her "dumbass" at the end of his statement, but the sardonic note in his voice heavily implied the sentiment, or the 'bot equivalent.

He made a good point. Maybe she ought to give the snotty attitude a rest. "Okay. I'm sorry. You're right."

"Now start at the beginning and leave nothing out. I want to know everything," he said, sitting down again and crossing his arms.

She paused, deep in thought, before launching into the tale. It was going to sound like a lot of crazy bullshit. How much would he believe? Sometimes she had trouble believing it herself.

"You know, the entire thing nearly didn't happen. I woke up that morning and it was so nice outside I thought about taking a personal day just for the hell of it, but at the last minute I didn't." It was true and the simple decision had altered many lives. "So I…," she was about to continue but Cyclonus was holding up a hand to stop her and scowling.

"What is a 'personal day'?" He asked.

This might take longer to tell than she thought.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The problem with a planet that was completely destroyed was that it all looked alike. The Skuxxoid couldn't tell one rock from another out in the barren wasteland where there were no ruins to use as landmarks.

He'd struggled to climb the loose dirt and gravel to put the low mountain range between himself and the machines once he'd gotten away from the mine. He had even managed to descend without losing his balance and getting buried again. It was different from the path that brought him there but he was emotionally and physically wrung out and his patience was gone. All he wanted was to get far away from this dump. The going on the other side of the mountains was much easier and besides, he could find the first place where he had climbed up and use it to get reoriented.

That was hours ago. The other spots where he'd climbed and fallen were visible but he missed the last one. Fantasizing about what he was going to do with his payment caused him to miscount and turn into the vast open plain sooner than he should have. He walked on and on, wondering only briefly where the rocks were he had hid amongst to avoid detection when he had first arrived. They must be farther out than he remembered, the alien reasoned cautiously, before shifting his direction. Not long after he was forced to admit to himself that he was lost. Calm, stay calm. This wasn't a big deal. No one was chasing him, there was plenty of time to find his shuttlecraft. The stone felt like it got heavier the longer he carried it. He carefully slung the pack off his shoulder and placed it on the ground. The direction plotter took a second or two to start and then he tried to make sense of the glowing display. It was supposed to indicate the location of his shuttle, but there was no flashing yellow dot on the screen. Had he forgotten to activate the beacon or was he way out of range? The alien was about to drop the plotter and stomp around in frustration when he thought he heard something. It was a faint pounding sound but then it faded. It must be his imagination, or possibly his heart.

It would have been nice if he'd had a better command of his equipment. Was it on an improper setting? He picked it up and then considered another possibility. Perhaps the strange, glowing cargo in his pack had somehow damaged it. If that were the case, what was it doing to him? He knew absolutely nothing about it. It was tempting to dump it right there…except that it could be valuable to him and he wasn't positive it was the cause of any problems at all. The alien swore in his native language. He'd have to turn back and try it again. Besides, this being out in the open and exposed wasn't a good thing. He started to walk tiredly back toward the mountains and hadn't gone far when the noise rose again. It didn't fade but instead grew louder until he heard a distinct turbine whine beneath the low thumping. There was a shape looming on the horizon and it was coming his way.

xxx

Vortex had brought another batch of Ranazite to the first hiding place and was on the way to his own secret spot. It was faster to cut across a section of flatland than it was to take a more hidden route. As he changed his heading, he spotted something amiss. It looked like a rock at first glance, except that he knew there were none of any size out here. He flew toward it. The results of a fast scan surprised him so much he did it again to be certain. Sensors indicated that whatever it was, it was alive.

xxx

The Skuxxoid held his breath and tried to ignore the fear and growing sensation of panic. This ploy had worked before, why not again? The vehicle was so loud that he felt the vibration of its engines in his bones. He was tucked into a ball trying once again to resemble one of the billions of big rocks that littered the planet and was unable to see what the Decepticon was doing. The noise grew louder and louder and then… it suddenly stopped. There was nothing but silence for a many seconds and then a metallic crash seemed to surround him. He was too scared to take a peek, fearing the worst.

"Well, well. What have we here?" Vortex asked.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx 

"And then I crashed on the asteroid. You know the rest," Stormvolt said, finishing the recounting of her life thus far. "So you see, I didn't lie to you or Galvatron about what I did on Earth and who with, I just left out the part about what I was when I did it."

Cyclonus was at a loss for words. It was an amazing story and he finally stopped interrupting and waited until she was finished. Now there were so many questions he didn't know where to start. He was impressed with her determination and the information certainly explained many things such as the way she spoke at times, the hesitance and caution when faced with a new situation, the unorthodox style she had adopted for hand to hand combat and the ridiculous idea that the Autobots were aggressive and dangerous. It was then he realized an inconsistency with her story. She said that Megatron had told her all manner of lies, which was in part the reason for her eagerness to help their endeavors…that did not make sense with what he had witnessed.

"Wait, when you first arrived you thought the Autobots were merciless killers but now you say you know better. When did you discover this discrepancy?" He asked.

"A few hours before you called me here."

"That recently?"

"Well, I'd occasionally seen and heard things that didn't fit with what I'd been told but there was a lot going on and I put it out of my mind. Remember that on Earth the others had orders not to answer any of my questions and I found out almost everything from Megatron or drew my own conclusions. Anyway, the last thing that made me wonder what was actually going on was when the Autobots offered us assistance with the Quintesson. If they were out to get us, that's the last thing they'd do, so I finally asked about it all. There wasn't any reason not to tell me now."

The mech nodded. "And now that you know otherwise, what will you do?"

"What do you mean?"

"It must be overwhelming to discover one has been living a lie. Surely this changes your motivation entirely."

"Yes and no. I'm furious about being lied to, yet most things I was told ended up being true in some ways. Besides, what can I do about it now? I couldn't turn traitor even if I wanted to, which I don't, and I can't leave. Anyway, the Autobots aren't totally innocent. As I understand it, they want to go back to the way things were and that's no good. And they're not so noble either, leaving us here to starve."

"Yes, the honorable thing would be to finish one's enemy."

"That's not what I meant but I see your point."

The mech said nothing further but instead stared at her.

"What?" She asked. He didn't look angry, but instead, thoughtful. Either way it was unnerving.

"How has this metamorphosis changed you, aside from the obvious? I cannot believe such drastic alterations wouldn't have an effect." He asked curiously.

It was a damn good question. "I…I'm not sure. I haven't really had the chance to consider it at length." It was true. It had been one thing after another since she became a machine. First basic survival and learning how her new self functioned, then finding her way home and all that followed after.

"Do you resent no longer being human?"

"No…, I don't think so. If this hadn't happened I'd be dead. There are things about it I miss and others that have been hard to adjust to," she said.

"What else?" Cyclonus asked.

"Emotions are harder to deal with now."

"In what way?"

"I guess it's more in the way they're expressed. Any negative feeling I have, like being sad, turns into anger. I can't cry and I don't feel ill in the way I'm used to doing. Instead I become more and more angry until I want to do something violent. You know, like when we went to the crypt."

The mech nodded. He didn't completely understand, as he had never been capable of the other reactions she described. There was no point of reference, but he was able to grasp the idea on some level.

"You did not have a violent nature previously?"

"Nah. It used to take a lot of provocation to get me that mad, but now it doesn't take much at all to make me want to hurt somebody."

That suggested a normal Decepticon to him. "If you had known the fates of your friends and that the others were exiled to Chaar, would you have returned?"

"I don't know. I think there would have been a good chance of it, because I still wouldn't have known I'd been lied to about everything. Humans would have chased me and probably so would the Autobots. I don't know what they would have done. After I changed I hadn't done anything that bad, but if they knew who I used to be, then what? Would they have locked me up? I know the government wouldn't have let it slide if they found out."

The mech nodded. Former human or not, there was nothing wrong with the processors that controlled her reasoning abilities.

"For the record, if Galvatron was still himself, I would have told him before now, but you saw what happened."

"Yes, I can understand the logic behind your duplicity," the mech said, rising from his chair. "Have your internals completed the repairs yet?"

The femme slid off the edge of the table. "Yes, they were finished half an hour ago."

"We should return to Chaar. Without adequate supervision there is likely much idleness on the others' part."

"Wait…" She said, moving toward Cyclonus before reconsidering and backing away a few steps. He wasn't going to go on business as usual was he?

"Yes?"

"What happens now? Galvatron doesn't want me dead yet, apparently."

"You will continue as you have unless he commands otherwise."

"Oh. Alright, but…" She was watching him uncertainly.

"But?"

"Where does that leave _us_? Does my being what I was count as one of those relationship problems that can't be resolved? Are we going to forget the entire idea of being together?"

Cyclonus was hoping to avoid the discussion for a bit longer. It took considerable will power for him to force himself to look directly at her when he answered.

"I would think it is I who should be asking that of you."

"What?"

"Why would I have any contempt for you in that regard? You are a creation of Galvatron and I am…not," he said, breaking optic contact with her.

Oh good God! She would have to make it very clear to him that she was NOT Galvatron Jr., but that would keep.

"All that stuff about, you know… carcasses…is it true or was that just Galvatron being himself?" She asked quietly.

"He says that it is true. Unicron fabricated myself, Scourge and the Sweeps from the remains of deactivated mechanisms." Cyclonus was getting that expression that conveyed it pained him to tell her this, while simultaneously daring her to make an issue of it.

"Do you know who you were?"

"No. Galvatron didn't say. None of us were aware of our surroundings in time to observe the process."

"So no one except Galvatron knows?"

"Precisely."

"Would you like to?"

"What is the point? We don't retain any memories of who we were."

The studied her reactions. She didn't seem put off by the knowledge of where he came from. Perhaps she had considered the possibility before now. "Does this disturb you?"

"It did at first but not in the sense that I was repulsed."

"Then how?"

"I don't know how to explain it," she said, raising her hands then dropping them in frustration. It was complicated. "Maybe you used to be someone I knew."

"It is possible. Nevertheless, this does not answer your original question. It appears none of us are what we used to be. You were a human once but now you are a creation of Galvatron and…"

The flier was shaking her head adamantly in the negative. "No. I am not a creation of Galvatron. I am the product of two humans and a bunch of Megatron's nanites. A freak of nature maybe, but definitely not anything related to _him_."

"You may think not, but he claims you as his own."

"Big fucking deal. I don't want you to start acting all weird and treating me different because of that. If you still want to continue our relationship do it for whatever reasons got you interested in the first place."

The mech hardly dared believe what he was hearing. She still wanted his attention despite all that had been revealed.

"So be it. I will not act differently toward you, but can you do likewise knowing what I am?"

"Yes, I think I can." Stormvolt was immensely relieved. The secret was out, Galvatron didn't kill her and Cyclonus wasn't disgusted by her origins. Although… she didn't like the wariness he was showing. But it was such a burden removed from her shoulders, she could hardly stand it. "Would you allow me to do one more human thing?" She asked moving toward him cautiously.

He said nothing but shrugged noncommittally.

"I can't express bad feelings as anything but anger, the good ones are different." She was very close now. The mech started to reply but was shocked into silence when she slid her arms around his middle and pressed against him. She felt him tense and immediately regretted her actions. Ah damn, it was too much. She started to pull away but then something interesting happened: he relaxed and placed his hands on her hips, keeping her close.

"You have much to learn," he said with quiet amusement.

"I know." She had her head turned to the side and tucked down to keep from jabbing him with the sharp antennas mounted to either side. In that position she was able to hear his internal workings hum and go about their business, albeit a little more quickly now. She was still kind of curious but in the end it really didn't matter who he used to be.

"You realize this isn't strictly the behavior of organics."

"No?"

"No. The difference being that we do not flaunt our interactions in full view of everyone. This is done in private."

"That would explain why I've never seen it. And here I though that you guys…that _we_… didn't do things like this."

They stood that way for several moments. As she listened to the mech's systems operate with quiet precision, another question arose. She thought she knew the answer, but still….

"Cyclonus?"

"Yes?"

"All that business about you being sparkless? It isn't true, is it?"

His first inclination was to say 'Of course not,' but then he recalled watching her exchanges with Rumble and Frenzy.

She took his initial silence as offense but then witnessed an astounding thing: his first ever attempt at humor. The deep, malevolent voice made it sound almost like a threat.

"Keep this up, and you may find out just how sparkless I am," he said.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Deadend had met Vortex and then continued onward to leave his remaining Ranazite with Shockwave before heading back to the mine. Thankfully, the Combaticon didn't notice his condition or didn't ask any questions if he did. What a disaster that turned out to be. He was supposed to deftly pry the information he wanted from those little glitches but instead they somehow made him divulge things he shouldn't, and not once but twice. That slagging Motormaster should know better than have him doing this. Why was he the only one that saw the futility of the whole endeavor? If he was so chummy with Vortex why couldn't they make Swindle do it? He was a great liar. There was no point in wondering because he was stuck with the job and that was that.

Nothing he tried was working. He was supposed to find out what they were doing but they wouldn't tell him. The mech was growing more frustrated but then he realized something. They were back at the mine, which suggested the seeker wasn't working on the project either. That meant it was alone and unguarded. The Stunticon altered his course and headed for the mine headquarters at an accelerated rate.


	29. A Brief Respite

Author's note: Here's Chapter 28. So that you can get down to business right away, I've put the rest of this note at the end. Animation inconsistencies would suggest a Skuxxoid could be anywhere from the size of Bumblebee to a human. I think of them as being the size of a really big person, like an NFL offensive lineman. Enjoy. Transformers belongs to Hasbro and Takara, not me.

A Blessing and A Curse  
By: Quetzal

Chapter 28  
A Brief Respite

xxx

"Alright, I guess I can see what you're sayin', but so what?" Said Rumble. The pair had gone back to the mine headquarters in an attempt to continue working on the refining device, but upon discovering they were alone, sat down to let the overenergizing run its course. Frenzy had taken the opportunity to lay out the plan he'd been mulling over concerning the replacement of the second in command with Soundwave. Initially, Rumble hadn't been receptive, as being overenergized tended to make him more argumentative but eventually he was forced to admit his twin was on to something.

"Don't ya get it?" Frenzy responded. "All we gotta do is point out how Soundwave is similar only better and maybe we can get Stormvolt to ditch that zombie Cyclonus."

"Yeah!" Rumble said enthusiastically, but then paused, frowning the way he did when he encountered a problem. "It's a great idea…but…"

"But what?"

"What if it works?"

"How is that bad?"

"Well, ya don't think he'll start ignorin' us do ya?" Both of the mechs had seen the bizarre personality changes that sometimes took place when a pair of machines first became interested in one another. Often the 'bots in question lost interest in everything but the company of their significant other. It was usually temporary, but annoying nonetheless.

"Soundwave? No way."

"Alright, what do you think Cyclonus is gonna do about it? I don't see that creep just givin' up."

"Hey, ya can't force somebody to like ya that way."

"No, but that doesn't stop 'em from makin' your life miserable as revenge."

"True. Nobody needs that, but let's worry about it if it happens. First we gotta get Stormvolt thinkin' about Soundwave."

"Sure, but I think ya missed somethin' else," Rumble said, as he leaned forward to rest his head on the table.

"What now?" Frenzy hated when his schemes were poked full of holes. It was supposed to be his job to do that to Rumble, not vice versa.

"What if Soundwave doesn't go for it? In all the years we've known him, has he ever acted the least bit interested in anybody?" It didn't occur to them that Stormvolt might also decline the offer. Why should she? This _was_ Soundwave they were talking about. He had enough similarities to Cyclonus that she ought to see it, plus he was simply _better_ than that big, weird, purple fragger. Once they called attention to the obvious, the rest should take care of itself.

"No, but how could ya tell?" The mech's inscrutability severely aggravated them now and then, but they were also proud of the way it bothered the others too.

"Yeah. I dunno. I guess we try it and see what happens." With the matter more or less settled, the pair slowly went offline into recharge, unaware that they were being observed.

xxx

Deadend could see through a series of large cracks in the haphazardly erected wall, but the constant noise made it hard to eavesdrop. Vortex was somewhere around, the heavy thump of rotors faintly audible and then a low roar nearer as Thrust continued his patrolling. He was very glad that he thought to check for occupants before he went inside. Those two little glitches were gradually becoming the bane of his existence. It would have been nice to get closer but it was still possible to get a good view of the refining apparatus. For something made of scavenged parts, it wasn't a bad looking device, not that he knew much about it. There were obvious parts removed but it still appeared to be nearing completion. He stood there a while before moving toward the entrance. If those two were off line, he would poke his head in the door and see what else was going on that wasn't visible from his present location.

As the Stunticon began to creep toward the door, he heard the racket Vortex was making suddenly stop but then the shriek of jet engines took its place and began to get louder. From the sound it was more than one aircraft. Best to get out of sight. He quickly went around to the side of the structure and pressed himself against the wall. Hopefully this would be good enough. Given his luck it was unlikely, but there wasn't much else to be done. The roar was close enough to feel as a vibration in the wall behind him. The mech risked a peek around the corner of the building and saw the femme do a graceful roll down and away from the side of the second in command. They didn't appear to be in any hurry and once the seeker was transformed and on the ground, Deadend saw why.

He didn't see her that often but he had enough to know someone had beaten the slag out of her since the last time. With that big wing patch, she probably really had to watch the speed, hence the slow flight. Motormaster might be interested in this. Now that Vortex had gotten quiet and Cyclonus was rapidly going away, perhaps he could hear the conversation.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Vortex delighted in terrorizing anyone, but small, weak creatures were the most enjoyable. The Skuxxoid was cowering and cringing away from him. When he encountered the interloper and it realized the fix it was in, momentary paralysis set in. Vortex had leaned over to make a grab for it, but the paralysis broke and it was off and running. The Combaticon watched for several seconds, allowing a substantial lead before leaping skyward and transforming.

It would have been easy (and safer for him) to use antigravity but the amount of noise he generated inspired more fear. He knew the mine wasn't that far. If someone got curious and investigated he would simply lie about what he was doing out here or threaten them into silence. If anyone who mattered caught him, he could say he'd been passing by and _look what I found, _although he didn't have any intentions of turning over his prisoner. No chance, there was too much fun to be had. The din his alt mode made was considerable, but the massive rotors were wonderfully effective tools for terror. The helicopter slowed and leaned forward, tail in the air, so that the slashing blades were angled down close enough to hit the fleeing alien. Catching his quarry would not be any challenge.

The Skuxxoid was in a panic. Logic told him he would never be able to outrun the mech but it was his only possible defense. He ran as fast as his squat body would allow and initially didn't hear any big pounding steps behind him. He also glanced overhead to see nothing. Was it going to let him go? But then that tiny shred of hope was destroyed when the engines and rotors started again. They were loud and then became deafening. Daring to spare a glance behind him, his heart nearly froze at the sight of the blur that was the giant blades only a couple of feet behind him. Shrieking, the alien dove to the side.

Vortex chuckled as he transformed again. He quickly snatched the horrified organic from the ground before it had a chance to run again. It was practically vibrating as it trembled with fear and the Combaticon shook it cruelly.

"What are you doing here?" Vortex demanded.

"I-I-I…"

"STOP THAT AND ANSWER ME!"

"Listen, p-please don't hurt me! I–I got a wife and kids…"

"You say that as though I should care." Vortex opened his hand and grabbed the alien by one arm then dangled it in the open air, bouncing it slightly like a cat toy. He watched the creature suffer, now in pain in addition to being scared. As much fun as this was, it would be better with an audience. Motormaster always enjoyed his recounting of past successes in this area, he'd certainly be impressed to see it in person. He gave up the bouncing for swinging the alien back and forth like a hypnotist's watch.

The Skuxxoid was trying not to squirm because it hurt more and he was also afraid his captor would lose his grip and drop him. It was a long way down. Suddenly he was launched into the air and began screaming before he landed with a smack in the palm of a giant metal hand. The collision knocked the breath out of him and then his shoulder began to throb. He didn't think it was dislocated, but it had come close.

"Quit whining. That was nothing," Vortex sneered.

"What do you want from me?"

"First we're going to see a friend and then you're going to tell us what we want to know or else."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"What in the pit happened to you?" Rumble asked. He hadn't gone that far into recharge when he heard furtive noises near the workbench. It wasn't Frenzy, because he'd crash around the same as always. His optics came on-line and he saw the femme leaning against the bench and trying to quietly stuff filter material into a canister. She was dented and spotted with corrosion inhibitor and had a big shiny patch on one wing.

"Hello to you too," she said. "I'll give you one guess."

"Galvatron?"

"Bingo."

Frenzy began to stir and raised his head from the table. "Wow, you look fragged," he said to Stormvolt as soon as he got a glimpse of her.

"So I hear." Something seemed off about the two of them, but it was difficult to tell what it was. That they were overenergized didn't occur to the seeker, what with the rationing and poor quality of fuel available.

"Galvatron strikes again," Rumble said.

"I shoulda known. What set him off this time?"

"He knows."

"What?"

"Galvatron figured it out. I don't know how, but… Did you guys hear that?" As she was about to tell them what had transpired, she thought she heard Scourge.

xxx

Deadend was creeping away from the ragged structure as fast and as quietly as he possible. Of all the times for Scourge to call him. And how stupid of him to have left his communicator on the audible setting.

"Where are you?" The tracker demanded.

"I'm on the way back right now."

"Well, move it! There's Ranazite piling up and you need to get it out of here."

"As you command," Deadend said, not totally able to get the resignation out of his voice. What was his problem? Usually he was mostly indifferent. And why would the element be piling up so quickly? Perhaps it had to do with whatever Galvatron had figured out. Then an unsettling thought lodged itself in his processor: What if Galvatron was at the mine right now? The Stunticon cursed his luck as he did at some point on an almost daily basis, while engaging the anti gravity. He needed to get further away before transforming. He didn't know what their maniac leader had discovered but he did have new information for Motormaster. Hopefully, it would be enough to keep him happy, or as close as he got. Yeah, right. As though that ever happened.

xxx

"I don't hear nothin'. And never mind that, what does Galvatron know?" Rumble asked.

"He knows who I was."

"Oh, wow. Is that why you're all…" Frenzy said, gesturing toward her rather than finishing the sentence. The femme nodded. "How?"

"I'm not sure," she said. The story wasn't lengthy and it was almost funny the way the two small mech were staring at her with matching shocked expressions.

"So then Cyclonus knows too?" Rumble asked. That particular tidbit of information may have solved the problem for them.

"Yup."

"And then the two of them decided to rearrange your sheet metal?" Frenzy asked.

"No, it was all Galvatron. In fact, Cyclonus tried to talk him out of it. The really crazy thing was that he wasn't even that mad about my hiding the human thing. He was flipping out about all kinds of crap that had nothing to do with me."

"That sounds about right."

"And at one point it was so bad he thought I was Starscream."

"Really?"

"Yes. That's when he did _that_," she said, angling her head toward the damaged wing. "And it gets better. Before he went nuts… okay, _more_ nuts, he claimed me as 'one of his own,' whatever that is. Can you believe that shit?"

"No way." Rumble said.

"I don't know if I should be more scared by that than the rest of it."

"Did he finally get tired of whalin' on ya or what?"

"Nah. He had some kind of … I don't know…malfunction right before he put my lights out. When I came back on line he was gone."

"Are ya positive you're okay?" asked Frenzy.

"Other than that rip on my wing and a few dents, I feel fine."

"Maybe somebody oughtta check it out anyway."

"Mmmm… I don't think so. Cyclonus did a good job. It's all covered with the patch and there's corrosion inhibitor too. Besides, who would I get? Hook? No thank you."

"Wait a minute. Cyclonus fixed you up? What got into him, wasn't he mad about your bein' a human before?"

"Hey, I was as shocked as anyone. I thought for sure that he'd beat the snot out of me at the absolute least, but I told him the whole story and he was okay with it more or less."

"You have gotta be the luckiest 'bot ever. I can't believe he'd take it that well."

"But does that mean he's not interested in ya anymore?" Rumble asked, trying unsuccessfully to keep the hopefulness out of his vocalizer.

"No. Everything there is fine. Sorry," the femme said wryly. "And you were right about what he and Scourge and the others are."

"Zombies?"

"No! They were reformatted from the others who were with Megatron, but they aren't zombies. They have sparks just like the rest of us."

"Yeah, zombie sparks," Rumble muttered.

"What?"

"Nothin'."

"Doesn't that freak you out a little?" Frenzy asked.

The seeker considered the question for several seconds. "Yes and no. I'd kind of like to know who he was, but there's been a lot of time to think about it so I wasn't really surprised."

"He didn't tell ya?"

"He doesn't know. No one except Galvatron knows who's who and he hasn't said."

"Any guesses?"

"Going by what I've seen of his sense of humor so far, I think we can rule out Skywarp."

"Heh! I think you're right."

"Here's an idea: what if that's Kickback tryin' to get in good with ya?" Asked Rumble.

"Ohhh… or Bombshell," Frenzy added.

"Or Shrapnel!"

"Or Thundercracker," Stormvolt said, ending their attempts to be disgusting. "Reformatting is supposed to create someone entirely new, with Galvatron being the exception, apparently. And what if Cyclonus was an Insecticon? You guys have to admit there's been a huge improvement."

"Maybe," Rumble agreed grudgingly.

"Besides, it's like he said: 'none of us are what we used to be.' "

"Speak for yourself," Frenzy said indignantly.

I guess someone's got to be normal around here. I'm glad you guys are still _you_ and didn't get turned into someone else or all dumb like the others. That's not my imagination is it?"

"That the others are dumb or that we ain't?" asked Rumble.

"You know what I mean."

"We don't know what their problem is. Ever since we lost the war, they've all been goin' downhill,"

"Depression?"

"No, I don't think so. Some of 'em still try but they're just stupid." He considered then corrected himself. "Stupider."

Frenzy nodded. "There was this one day, we saw the Constructicons messin' around and they didn't know we was there. It was like none of 'em knew what they was doin'. If you'd told the Stunticons to go build somethin' the results woulda been the same. They didn't seem ta know the first thing about it."

"What they've been doing in the mine lately seems like their old selves," said Stormvolt. "Could it be leftover damage from a battle causing intermittent problems?"

"I dunno about that, but it's like it's effected everybody but us cassettes, you, and maybe Shockwave. Oh, and Galvatron's crew, not countin' Galvatron himself of course."

"Don't forget Soundwave," Rumble added, trying to be helpful. "He's totally normal. You oughtta talk to him about it." Frenzy wanted to kick his twin beneath the table but didn't. One day soon he needed to have a discussion with him about subtlety.

"I'll have to do that sometime, but right now, let's get these filters done and back in place. We still have to test them and I don't want to be the one holding things up whenever we finally get the word that the Ranazite is acceptable."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

It was the most terrifying experience of the Skuxxoid's life. He was at the mercy of two of the killer machines and it didn't appear to be a concept either one was familiar with.

"Are you going to tell us why you're here or do we have to get more persuasive?" Motormaster asked. He had been bored out of this processor until Vortex showed up with his sniveling prisoner. The Stunticon had seen one of these things before but they were all alike to him and he didn't know if it was the same one or not.

"I wasn't doin' nothin' bad, I was just lookin' around." It was hard to breathe while in the grip of a giant hand. Motormaster was no gentler than Vortex.

"Don't lie to us, organic scum. If you were merely taking in the scenery what are you doing with this?" Vortex said, holding up the pilfered Ranazite.

"I found it lying around, honest."

" 'Honest' he says. Ha! You've been out at the mine spying haven't you?" Asked Motormaster.

"N-No! You got it all wrong!"

"Liar!" And then he was hurled into the bunker as the two Decepticons discussed what to do next.

They were far enough away so that the battered alien couldn't hear them. Eavesdropping was the last thing on his mind. He had bounced off the center column and hit the floor. He felt himself come close to unconsciousness but panic snapped him back. Fortunately, his scaly hide kept him from serious harm and he was able to squirm his way up against a wall out of sight. There was only one hope now. His hands slapped at the belt cinched around his rotund torso before finding the communicator. Oh, please don't let the thing be broken, he thought as he pulled it loose and hit the power button. The screen began to glow dimly. There was only static but he prayed that it would quickly change when he sent his message.

"Come in! Come in! I need help!" He hissed as quietly as he could. Nothing happened. "C'mon you guys, it's an emergency. I'm in big trouble," he whined, his voice going higher and higher in pitch.

Slowly the static was replaced by the image of a wide metallic face topped with an orange five-pointed ornament.

"Is there a problem?" It said.

"You gotta get me out of here!"

"We do not have to do anything of the sort. Your failure is not our responsibility."

"Pleeeeaaaaase? These things are gonna tear me apart!"

"So you managed to get yourself captured. How unfortunate."

"If you don't save me you'll never know about what I discovered."

"How do we know it is worth the bother?" This time the question came from a different face, this one gaunt with a clump of spikes on top.

"But it is! I swear! Promise you'll come and get me, and I'll tell you all about it!"

"You realize that our direct involvement in what was supposed to be your task, and yours alone, renders any contract between us null and void."

The Skuxxoid stared at the screen not certain of what that meant but not liking the gist at all.

The Quintesson surmised this and clarified. "We are no longer obligated to provide compensation. You get nothing except your pathetic life."

"What?! You dirty…. That's not fair!"

The faces spun again. The next one that spoke was surrounded in red and sporting fangs.

"Your sense of justice does not concern us. Decide. Forfeiture or abandonment to your captors."

All his dreams of Monacus collapsed in ruin. "Alright. You win. I get nothin', just get me outta here."

xxx

"You found him out wandering around, huh?" Motormaster asked.

"He was probably lost… and wishes he still were now." Vortex replied.

"What do you think we should do with him?"

"Do you even need to ask?"

"Everyone knows Chaar is a dump and that it's _our_ dump. Why would that thing come here on it's own?"

"Good point. Was he sent here? But by who and for what reason?"

"I don't know, but he was definitely going to tell them about the mine. We can't have someone causing trouble there. We still need it."

"But who could possibly care about what we're doing here? The Autobots, I guess, but they wouldn't send a loser like that."

"Let's have some fun and see if we can get it out of him. Any ideas?" Motormaster asked with a sly grin.

"Always."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Author's note continued: I've been working on this series of stories for, by my standards, quite a while now. I get comments from the regulars (thanks guys) and a PM now and then from some other folks (always nice to hear from you) but really, I don't know much about the majority of you. In an attempt to remedy this, I'm going to start posting polls in my profile section. I'll change it with each new chapter. There's a question there now that's been there for over a month so don't answer if you're one of the four who have found it already. The results stay hidden but when I change the question, I'll post the results for the old one in the profile in case anyone besides me is interested.


	30. A Gray Area

Author's Note: Transformers belongs to Hasbro and Takara not me. Thanks, for reading and commenting and favorite-ing, etc. I really do appreciate it.

A Blessing and A Curse  
By: Quetzal1

Chapter 29  
A Gray Area

xxx

Five sets of optics glowed expectantly as the makeshift refinery did its job. A quantity of pulverized, pure Ranazite had been emptied into the machine and then it slowly worked its way through a bath of energon to get the process started before undergoing more processing and various kinds of filtration. Now Rumble, Frenzy, Stormvolt, Cyclonus and Soundwave were all focused on the outflow pipe. Nothing was happening yet. The femme warily eyed the readouts, but everything was normal. The device wasn't hissing and clanking the way it did before it blew up, which seemed to rule out a blockage. It was making her antsy and she was unconsciously shifting her weight side to side nervously. What was taking so long? Was this normal? The wait was becoming intolerable and she wanted to pace, but it was rather crowded in the small area and she didn't want to miss it when it happened (if it happened.) She glanced back over her shoulder at Cyclonus who appeared as calm as always.

xxx

The mech would have made an encouraging gesture, but there were others present. He could understand her apparent nervousness. However, if the test failed she would simply try again. Each attempt was getting closer to the desired result. It was an obstacle that he felt certain would be overcome eventually. The success of this device was the last thing standing between them and a potentially boundless fuel supply. Shockwave's tests confirmed that the element was beyond suitable for what they had in mind. All they needed to do was convert it. He had a measure of tension himself considering it. So many possibilities this would open up for Decepticon kind! They would no longer be hobbled by the most basic of needs. They wouldn't starve and it would be possible to trade the energon they produced for other items. They would become stronger and as that strength increased, they would gradually begin to lengthen their reach. Given enough time they would once again be feared and respected as they should be…but. But there was the matter of Galvatron.

There was no way to gauge what his reaction would be to this news. He should be pleased but then again, he might take exception to the fact that the information was initially kept from him. He wasn't the most patient of mechs, either. Would he be able to wait until they had improved their circumstances or would he immediately go on a rampage? He shouldn't be questioning their leader's abilities like this. If only there was a way to make him the way he was, to repair the damage to his meta processor circuits. Having mentioned it to the femme did not produce any solutions, although perhaps she hadn't had the opportunity to consider the matter in depth. And if this were a success, she would immediately become busy with training again. Those things had gone unattended to in the aftermath of the Ranazite discovery. If they were going to restore their position in the universe, Galvatron would require skilled and qualified officers, a resource currently in short supply.

xxx

Soundwave felt the others' excitement and concern as he watched the outflow pipe. The emotions must be very strong because he didn't have to try much to sense them and usually anything from Stormvolt was difficult to interpret and Cyclonus especially was muted to the point of being nearly unreadable. A good thing it was easy, because it would have been hard to concentrate with Rumble and Frenzy alternately trying to crowd him closer to the femme. The mech stood his ground, even when one of the cassettes was practically leaning against his lower leg. They were persistent, he knew, and this was likely just the beginning.

A ready supply of fuel would change things for the better in many ways, and it would also maintain the current balance of power…perhaps. He still had not been able to ascertain what the others were up to specifically. If Ravage hadn't heard the talk of replacing Galvatron, millions of years of experience still would have told him it was yet another misguided grab for power. The Stunticons were involved, that much was definite. Assisting were at least two Combaticons. It was an unlikely alliance but dire circumstances easily forced such things. He also knew they had stolen a portion of the Ranazite. Shockwave had filled in that much inadvertently.

xxxxxxxx

Soundwave held the container up and admired the glowing element within. If the refining device was finished, they would soon have the best fuel since their days on Cybertron. In fact, it could surpass it. The mech didn't usually go on errands such as this, but Scourge was trying to show Cyclonus that he was maintaining discipline and had barked the command to go see what was taking Shockwave so long and if he had anything to report. The telepath was possibly the only one who knew that Scourge had no taste for command. If he was made to supervise anyone other than Sweeps he was quite uncomfortable. It wasn't fear but he was unable to determine what the issue was due to the difficulty involved in "reading" him.

"Why was this delayed?" Soundwave asked. It would be best to have a reply in case anyone asked once he returned. It was more probable that they would forget it entirely when he gave them the sample and told them the news.

"It was not _my_ fault. The sample sizes were inconsistent. The first of them were fine but then some would be less than others and the tests required uniformity. I would have to wait on the next one to arrive. Take it up with Deadend or whoever was in charge of loading."

Interesting. Soundwave witnessed the batches being measured out at the mine. Each load should have been the same or close enough not to cause any problems. They didn't want to have excess here where it would increase the chances of Galvatron finding it, which meant new deliveries were brought at intervals that allowed the experiments to continue unobtrusively. Deadend was obviously ditching part of his load, which would explain the irregularities in size and why he was gone longer on some trips and not others.

"I have performed the function commanded. What do our so called leaders require of me now?" Shockwave asked with obvious disdain. The reason for that was well known to Soundwave and suspected by a great many others. The mech wanted to go back to his quarters and continue to brood over the absence of Megatron. Unless forced into another task that was almost all he did. The fixation could easily transition to madness if it went on long enough. The telepath wondered if his compatriot also had recharge visits from their not so lost leader. Surely not. If such were the case he would probably be offline as much as possible in hopes of a meeting.

"Status: unknown. Stand by for further orders."

Shockwave said nothing else. Between his lack of a faceplate and Soundwave's mask and visor, anyone watching would have no idea of the current mood of either mech. The telepath was indifferent but he sensed the annoyance coming from the other. Annoyance was really all. His thinking didn't have the same confused circularity as the others'. This might be helpful later. Soundwave abruptly turned and made his way to where the containers of powdered Ranazite were stored. No one told him to bring it back, but then no one knew it was there. Hopefully this would set off another round of actions to keep everyone else busy while he continued to carefully observe. He had to be missing something. The more he considered it, the more he felt it all had to be interrelated in one way or another.

xxxxxxxx

"Hey, check it out," Frenzy said excitedly, rousing Soundwave from his reverie.

A thin stream of energon dribbled out of the pipe and then grew larger and larger as it fell into a waiting cube. It glowed brightly and the liquid was opaque but not syrupy like the last attempt.

Stormvolt pumped a fist in the air and yanked it back down violently. "Yeah!" She exclaimed, and then proceeded to accept and return high fives and a lot of jostling from Rumble and Frenzy. They had finally done it.

Cyclonus observed with a mixture of pride and distaste. That wasn't a very dignified way to behave but still, he supposed he understood the femme's jubilation though it was a tad premature. They were on the verge of a stunning comeback.

"Soundwave, take this sample to Shockwave for further analysis. Tell him to contact me when the tests are complete," Cyclonus ordered. Soundwave didn't bother to reply. He was curious himself to see if this was a true success or not. As he crouched to pick up the cube he felt annoyance from the cassettes.

"Geez, Cyclonus, lighten up why don'tcha?" Rumble said, temporarily forgetting his unease in a fit of high spirits.

"Perhaps I will 'lighten up' when there is not work left to be done," the mech replied without sounding too threatening. "As it stands, there is still much to do." He was in a rather good mood himself or his response would have been much more severe.

"What next?" Stormvolt asked agreeably.

"You will come with me," he replied, and then turned his attention on the smaller mechs. "And the two of you will remain here to keep anyone from interfering with the refinery." They glared at him as though they were considering argument for a second or two.

"Will that be a problem?" He asked, scowling a bit more than usual.

"Nah. No problems here," Frenzy said with resignation. Thus far his plan was a failure. The second in command couldn't know about it, but he was doing a great job of keeping the seeker and Soundwave apart. Fine. It wasn't like guard duty took a lot of thought. They would use it as an opportunity to plot further strategy.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx 

"_NNNNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"_ The Skuxxoid shrieked. He was alive and relatively unharmed but apparently that was about to change. The mechs had been terrorizing him for nearly two days. He was never sure he'd live to see another. Today the machines had played catch with him, tossing him high in the air and making last minute grabs that kept him from smashing into the ground. After that, each had held him by one arm, letting him hang, sometimes swinging him forward and back between them, narrowly avoiding a huge rock. They kept demanding to know who had sent him. The alien was trying to resist. If he told them who sent him that would only lead to more questions, most of which he wouldn't have the answer to. They could ask his rescuers… if they ever showed up.

Vortex had transformed and was sitting there in his alt mode. Slowly the blades started to turn. Motormaster held the squirming alien upside down in a nearly crushing two-handed grip. Only his head protruded and it was slowly being held closer and closer to the spinning rotors as they gained speed and began to raise great clouds of dust. The Stunticon was going about his business with a dazed, hypnotized looking grin. He had to hand it to Vortex. The guy knew how to torment.

The blades were a gray blur and the Skuxxoid's head was getting extremely close. He was coughing and hacking because of the dust and the slight jerking motion got him closer than Motormaster intended. One of the blades caught the tip of his pointed helmet and ripped it from his head. The straps that held it place were strong and the force of the removal caused them to cut his leathery hide.

"Disgusting!" Motormaster said, when he noticed the yellowish blood. He would have to handle the creature carefully now to prevent getting any of that on his hands. Filthy, weak organics, always leaking one appalling fluid or another.

Vortex snickered. That was nothing next to what would happen if the creature didn't talk soon. He didn't mind a little blood. It confirmed that he was inflicting hurt and that was all that mattered to him. He was about to suggest that Motormaster toss the creature into the air repeatedly over the whirling blades but a glow in the clouds of dust suddenly changed his focus. It wasn't large and it wasn't getting any closer, but someone or something was definitely over there.

"What? It was just getting good," Motormaster complained as Vortex suddenly cut the engines and transformed.

"We have a visitor," the Combaticon said, pointing behind his companion.

All the dust in the air made it like peering at a light through fog. The two Decepticons approached, weapons drawn, as Motormaster kept a firm grasp on their prisoner who was still upside down. The Skuxxoid had a good idea of what was producing the glow and he was sorely disappointed. He was hoping his employers would send a team of heavily armed Allicons, or, Sharkticons at the absolute least.

"Greetings Motormaster," the five faced apparition said.

"Do I know you?" The Stunticon asked with sarcasm rather than curiosity. He recognized it as a Quintesson, or rather a projection of one, but was unaware of their surveillance. He didn't know they had witnessed he and Swindle threatening Cyclonus over Galvatron's behavior. It knew far more about Motormaster than the mech did about it. Furthermore, the mech was also ignorant of the fact that their kind never acted without a scheme in place. In the brief plea for help, the Skuxxoid had used his communicator to hurriedly show his masters who they were confronting, and to describe the Ranazite. The three Imperial Magistrates were familiar with the element, though it had been a long while since they had encountered any. The implications of what such a discovery might mean for their errant creations was not lost on them and they plotted accordingly.

"I believe you have something that belongs to us," it said, ignoring the question.

"You mean that worthless thing?" Vortex asked, gesturing toward the Skuxxoid. "Maybe we want to keep it. It was trespassing on our territory, after all."

"And if you sent it, that means _you're_ trespassing by association," Motormaster added, warningly.

"Conceivably, but then why haven't you alerted Galvatron?"

"What's it to you?"

"Nothing. Although, I can see why ones such as yourselves would choose to handle a matter like this personally."

"What are you blabbing about?" Vortex asked.

"It is no secret that your _glorious leader_ has, shall we say, seen better cycles. So it is obvious that an intelligent mechanism would operate independently and seize any opportunity for himself, the likes of which would be wasted on Galvatron."

"What do you mean, 'opportunity'?" Motormaster asked. He had hung around Swindle enough to know an underhanded hint at some variety of offer when he heard it. Were they willing to bargain for the puny, wretched organic?

The Skuxxoid squirmed and grunted. It was hard to breathe in the Stunticon's grip and all the blood had uncomfortably rushed to his head. Had those tentacled freaks forgotten why they were here?

"We will get to that. But why not release our mutual acquaintance, so that we may move on to other, more important matters without distraction?"

"Forget it," Vortex said. "That little creep is staying right here for now."

"We understand your caution. It is good to see thought proceeding action for a change."

"Yeah, well, this isn't Galvatron you're dealing with," Motormaster said with an air of superiority. They'd better know from the beginning that they were not talking to a glitched up reject like their supposed leader.

"Yes, we are aware of that, which is why we know you will be very interested in what we would like to discuss."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx 

Stormvolt landed on her back with a massive thud, rattling her insides. The score was now two to one. She and Cyclonus were back on the no-name planet, but it wasn't for pleasure, not until the job at hand was over.

"You need to develop more varied attacks," Cyclonus said, as he pulled the femme upright after having tossed her to the ground. "I know what you're going to do almost as soon as you do."

xxx

The seeker had floated the idea of coming here because she needed to replenish her voltage scatter. Cyclonus was agreeable with the caveat that the trip serve another purpose. It would add an element of reality to go somewhere besides the asteroid they used most of the time. Now they were partially through the third part in yet another training exercise. Previously he had instructed her to fly through an area low to the ground destroying targets he had designated by burning an X onto their surfaces. When she was halfway through that he would begin pursuit. She had to finish hitting all the targets without getting shot before being allowed to run or fight. Once through the course they had segued to a prolonged dogfight. The winner was whoever was able to score three hits on their opponent first. The loser had to immediately land wherever they were at that moment and engage the victor in hand to hand combat. The winner of that round was whichever of them was the first to take down the other three times. The target portion went well. Stormvolt was able to avoid him until she had hit all the marks. The dogfight took several hours but eventually Cyclonus scored a hard fought win. He had thought up the exercise in this format to see if he could rouse her competitive streak, if she had one. Under his tutelage the femme was becoming much more skilled. He had followed as she dropped into the canyon they were over when he made his last hit.

He had barely touched the ground when the seeker rushed at him. Fortunately he had caught a glimpse of her hiding behind a rock as he landed. He dodged her at the last minute but was pleased despite the failure.

"Very good. One should never allow the enemy any advantage," he said, as she slid to a stop and turned on him, immediately attacking again without pause. They continued on in this fashion for a long period. At regular intervals the mech would halt the activity to show his student a fighting technique and then practice it repeatedly. It didn't escape Stormvolt's notice that he was favoring a lot of maneuvers and holds that involved the two of them being exceedingly close, often with him standing behind and against her and guiding her motions as a way to demonstrate his instructions. Also not lost on her was the fact that she liked it. The problem was, the new information was unusable against him right now because he fully expected it.

xxx

"Another thing to consider is that your size may necessitate a style of attack that relies more on guile rather than purely strength when facing a larger opponent," Cyclonus said.

"I already know I need to fight dirty. The problem is coming up with new material," Stormvolt complained.

"You are resourceful, I am sure you will think of something."

She wasn't completely without ideas as they squared off again. If she got to try one of them, it would answer multiple questions. Fighting wasn't the only thing on her mind. All this close contact and the subtle touching on other occasions was getting to her. The feelings it produced made her tense but she liked it despite the peculiar nature of it and that it was hard to understand. The mech was partially crouched, legs apart and arms out to block and/or strike when she made her approach. Why on Earth did she find what others would consider threatening kind of hot? All at once and out of nowhere, what the problem was dawned on her. The 'bots referred to it as having the hotwires for someone. Humans had a shorter name for the condition: horniness. That explained a lot. The machine version was so different from what one experienced as an organic, it was no wonder she hadn't recognized it. Not to mention that it'd ages since she'd last experienced it as a human. Great. That particular mystery was solved but it still didn't clear up the issue of knowing the appropriate way to respond…or initiate. There were things humans did that she knew were considered disgusting but then there were other actions that both species shared. Now appeared to be a good time to try something she'd been feeling the urge to do. If it failed to garner the right response, she had a ready excuse.

Cyclonus knew she was thinking up a different angle to try, what that might be was anyone's guess. No doubt it would be highly unorthodox. Against an inexperienced or smaller fighter, many of her moves would be very effective. He, however, was created for battle and it took something most unusual to catch him off guard.

The seeker charged without warning, and he prepared to block her strike but then she revealed the new attack. Instead of a standard kick or tackle, she leapt into the air and made herself small as possible, performing a sort of horizontal cannonball. Unsure of what to do, Cyclonus caught her and staggered backward a few steps from the impact. The femme unfolded herself and proceeded to place her hands firmly on either side of the mech's head, beneath the nosecone sections that reminded her of ears, before planting a hard kiss on him.

The mech was stunned into inactivity for a second or two before he vehemently began trying to free himself. He let go and tried to push her away, finally succeeding only to trip over her leg, which she had stuck out behind him when he released her. She found it highly unsatisfying. There was no yielding warmth only a cold, hard pressure. Still it wasn't gross or anything. At least _she _didn't think so. Cyclonus's opinion, evidently, varied greatly. Okay, she'd better make it look like it was part of the plan all along and not something she did out of curiosity.

"Is that resourceful enough? Hey, and now the score is tied!" Stormvolt said. She didn't want to gloat but it was starting to seem that a win was possible. "Cyclonus?"

The mech had fallen but he was barely moving. How could something as minor as that have done any serious damage? Was it a freak accident? Had he impaled himself on a sharp rock? She waited briefly but nothing happened. Shit.

"Are you alright?" His optics had gone dark. She crouched over him and looked closer. A fast scan showed that he was functioning and it wasn't showing damage. Wait a minute. It was too late when she realized her error. The mech reached out, grabbing her upper arm and then spun her around while yanking downward. She was suddenly caught in a headlock. Thrashing around only made him clamp down harder.

"I am fine, and you lose," Cyclonus said quietly, inches away from her audio sensors. It didn't sound angry but more triumphant, like something he'd say to an adversary right before he tore their head from its mountings.

"You know, if you were an enemy, I would have shot you first before I got close."

"No, because in this exercise your weapons aren't functional, remember?"

"Alright, you got me. Feel free to stop crushing my neck now."

"Only with the assurance that you won't try… _that_ again."

"You're the one who said I had to use guile. Heh! You have to admit it was pretty effective."

"This once. A repeat could prove detrimental to your health," he threatened, releasing his hold. She'd heard him come off as a lot more menacing but it would be dumb to push her luck. Besides, she had found out what she needed to know. Kissing was, like many other actions, a thing to be relegated to the past.

"I get it," she said, standing and brushing dirt from her surfaces. "What now?"

"I think that is enough for one day. You are showing improvement." He watched her removing bits of debris caught in various places. Her sleek form was covered in dust and marked here and there with streaks of corrosion inhibitor, but he found that those imperfections didn't detract from her appeal. In fact, it was the opposite. Any true warrior had scars. Only the weak and cowardly managed to remain unmarked.

"So how about we go hunt up some weather?" The wind was rising and the skies had become overcast. According to her radar, there was a promising disturbance to the northeast. The craving for electricity had prevented notice of the way she was being observed.

"Yes, I think you've earned it."

"Let's go." Once she had the word, the femme went airborne and then transformed, streaking nearly straight up.

Cyclonus paused before following. No one was there to see it, but he actually looked almost happy. He had already pardoned her earlier offense. Pardoned but not forgotten. It was an appalling ritual to be sure, but the mech strongly suspected that it was something other than only a means to catch him off guard. There were so many things she wasn't familiar with, and there was the tendency to react to or confront them in a way that was very human. Before they returned to Chaar he would test his theory. The mech blasted out of the canyon in pursuit of the seeker with a sense of anticipation that was close to painful in its intensity.


	31. Dirty Deeds

Author's note: Get comfortable, this is a long one. I didn't start out with that being my intention but it kept going and I just didn't think it would work as well split up into two chapters. I'd be willing to bet some of you have been waiting for this since Chapter 10 or 11 and I hope you like it. More at the end. Transformers belongs to Hasbro and Takara, not me.

A Blessing and A Curse  
By: Quetzal 1

Chapter 30  
Dirty Deeds

xxxxx

Deadend had been temporarily released from his duties ferrying the Ranazite to Shockwave and was on his way to tell Motormaster what he had recently discovered. This unexpected free time wasn't such a great thing in his opinion. As long as they kept him busy it was easier to avoid tasks like this. He was happy (or as close as he got to that feeling) to have new information but dreaded the inevitable extra work it would bring down on him. Secretly he continued to hope that his team leader would give up on the entire crazy scheme. It couldn't possibly end any way other than badly. Besides, if they had real energon again, things would be better. They had to be. Why risk your life on futility when it was short enough already?

As he drew closer to the camouflaged guard post he noticed another, far cruder structure near it. Vortex suddenly came into view, flying in his robot mode and carrying what looked like a big, flat rock. What the slag? Motormaster came out of the bunker to inspect the goings on as Vortex placed the object on top of the odd edifice.

"What are you guys doing?" Deadend asked, as he transformed from his alt mode.

"We're building a guest house," Motormaster replied, with a spiteful laugh.

"Guest?"

"See for yourself," Vortex said, gesturing toward the structure as he landed.

Now that he was close, he saw that it was a haphazard pile of boulders arranged into a waist high circular wall with the flat rock placed on top like a roof. There was a gap high in the wall big enough for him to peek through. Deadend crouched and brightened his optics. The red glow revealed a hunched and shuddering figure on the opposite side. It was bloodied and showing bruises on its thick hide. Near it was a glowing piece of stone. He didn't know the individual creature but he was familiar with the species and its reputation. What were these two doing with it, and why did it have a chunk of Ranazite?

"Where did that come from?"

"Vortex found it sneaking around. It's been out at the mine spying for the Quintessons."

"What?! Shouldn't you hand it over to Galvatron?"

The Stunticon leader resisted the urge to backhand his dimwitted comrade. "No. That's the last thing we should do."

"I don't get it," Deadend said with resignation. He never got their bizarre schemes, it was easier that way.

"You don't have to…. And why are you out here?"

"Huh? Oh, right. I found out some things I thought you'd want to know."

"Like what?" Vortex demanded.

"As I was saying," Deadend continued. He was mildly annoyed by the bossy attitude of the Combaticon. Deep down he feared him but also resented him. Nobody said he had to take any orders from him. "I saw their refinery. I think it's almost finished."

"Who cares about that? We don't need it anymore," Motormaster said with a dismissive wave of one hand.

If he'd been able, Deadend would've sighed with resignation and rolled his optics upward. So he had done all that sneaking around for nothing. He wasn't surprised

"Is that all?" Vortex asked. He didn't notice the glance Motormaster shot his way. It was one thing for the Stunticon leader to treat Deadend rudely, but it wasn't Vortex's place to do so. He was acting like _he_ was the one in charge.

Deadend ignored him. "You wanted to know more about the femme right?" He asked and waited for Motormaster to nod in the affirmative. "I think it's a pretty safe bet she's not on Galvatron's side. I saw her earlier and he'd beat the chips out of her."

"Oh?" Motormaster asked with interest. "How do you know it was him?"

"I heard her tell those two micro glitches of Soundwave's."

That was interesting information. He didn't need her anymore as far as the Ranazite went, but he did need soldiers for his army. She would be a good addition, if what she'd done to that Autobot was any indication. There was also the possibility she would bring others with her.

"Okay, here's what you're going to do now," Motormaster said. "You'll go back and try to find out if you're right about her being against Galvatron. If it turns out she is, then see how much."

"What about Frenzy and Rumble? She seems to like them."

"Yeah, keep that up too."

"Is that it?"

"For now. Get out of here and don't let anyone see you coming from this direction."

Vortex watched but said nothing further as Deadend transformed and sped away. The involvement of the Quintessons complicated his plans significantly. The little meddlers had smoothly suggested the idea of a coup almost as if they knew all about what was in the works already and then went on to offer to provide energon and weapons (the Skuxxoid was serving as collateral.) Motormaster hadn't the sense to be suspicious but the Combaticon didn't have that problem. When questioned about why they were being so generous, the projected image had responded that they wanted to foster co-operation between their races and that it was impossible with the wildly unpredictable Galvatron in charge. Once a new Decepticon regime took control, the next step would be reclaiming Cybertron. When the Autobots were disposed of, both groups would be free to pillage the entire universe. It sounded nice but it was all too easy. Either way, he would have to move faster and more carefully if he were going to wrest control away from Motormaster when the time was right. The question was how.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx 

"Why do you do that rather than maintaining normal flight patterns?" Cyclonus asked. The femme had done a lazy barrel roll and was now flying inverted through the darkening sky.

"I guess flying is a lot more fun when you haven't been doing it all your life. The novelty hasn't worn off for me yet," Stormvolt answered. "Don't you ever like to take it all in while you're up here?"

"With what goal in mind? Surveying? Reconnaissance?"

"Just because it's scenic."

"No. I seldom have time to devote to frivolity."

"Wait here." The seeker rolled right side up and increased altitude, disappearing into the overcast. She wasn't gone long before calling: "Come up over the clouds, I want to show you something."

What was there to see? The clouds would obscure everything. The mech made the appropriate adjustments and began to climb. The burn from his engines dimly illuminated the inside of the murk before he smoothly emerged from the topside of the overcast, he was clueless as to the image it created, and the effect it had on his companion.

"What is it?" He asked.

"Huh?"

"What did you want me to see?"

It wasn't her ogling him that was for sure. She really had to get this nonsense under control. It had grown stronger ever since Cyclonus had declared his intentions and she began to give it all serious thought. Now that she recognized the latest feelings it was all but impossible to leave alone. It made her restless and curious and unsure, all at once. It was also kind of strange the way her preferences for what constituted physical attractiveness had partially changed along with the rest of her. In the old days, though she appreciated the design of an exotic sports car or the grace of a jet aircraft as well as anyone, it didn't influence her much. Not like some people who lusted after vehicles like that, keeping models on their desks or posters on the wall. Her first (and only) new car had been a Honda CRX, for crying out loud. Of course if you were a machine yourself, it stood to reason your thoughts on the subject would be different. Now she couldn't help but notice a sleek chassis and that was one thing Cyclonus had that going for him in both forms. His robot mode had many of the blocky qualities she was used to seeing but it was also far more streamlined in some ways. His strength was another point in his favor, but if he were an arrogant, stupid mech, she would have had no interest in him at all. That much had carried over from her human days. He was patient and intelligent (aside from the Galvatron fanaticism, but that could be a programming aspect he had no control over.) He did not tolerate anything but total commitment to an undertaking from himself or anyone else.

"Look around. Isn't this great?" she said, trying to recover her composure. Alt modes were wonderful for hiding reactions or expressions that would give a 'bot away, as long as you managed to keep your voice normal.

With the exception of an anvil shaped thunderhead in the far distance, the clouds were spread beneath them like a smooth, level plain as far as they could see in almost every direction. Above them, stars glittered and the nearly full red moon cast its glow onto the clouds, turning them pink.

"In what way?" The mech asked.

"You know. Don't you find it…_aesthetically pleasing_?" It took a second or two to come up with words she thought he would use himself.

"I much prefer a landscape like that of Cybertron, but I suppose it is…peaceful." He didn't give environments like this much thought aside from ways to exploit them for their energy or tactical advantage, but he didn't want to be excessively negative either. This penchant for organic worlds was no doubt a product of her former humanity and she couldn't help it. He would have to accept it as another of her odd quirks. It wasn't difficult for him to do.

"Peaceful? That's it?" She asked, rolling to one side with wings perpendicular to the ground.

"I do not wish to be discouraging but it is better not to be distracted by one's surroundings."

"Why?" The femme had maintained her sideways posture but had dropped lower so as to skim her patched wingtip just beneath the surface of the clouds. The disturbance created by its passage made swirling patterns.

"Why? Because you are a Decepticon. The universe is vast and we have many enemies. You should always be on alert for them."

He had a point, but why did he have to be such a downer? "Yes, but you're here and you're more alert than three of me."

"Be that as it may, I still wish for you to grasp the potential dangers of your life now and behave accordingly. I may not always be available to compensate for your inattention."

"You worry about me?"

"Generally speaking, no. But occasionally I witness things that give me cause for concern."

"Such as?"

"Are you scanning for the presence of other aircraft right now?"

"No."

"How about possible weapon emplacements on the surface?"

"No."

"Are you scanning for anything at all?"

"Weather and terrain proximity."

"Well then, you can see the reason for my concern." He didn't sound angry. Instead he had the same tone he took when lecturing on any subject as part of training.

He didn't purposely try to make her feel dumb, but that was the end result. He was right. She _was_ too reliant upon his presence and needed to pay more attention.

"Yes, I can. You're right and I will do better," she said. Indicators for a variety of sensors and scans lit up in the periphery of her vision as the femme immediately began to make good on her statement.

"I have all confidence you will."

"Would you if you didn't like me?"

The mech was silent for a few moments. "If you were inept, I would not have confidence, nor interest."

"So you like me for my mind?" She teased, rising from the cloud surface and going inverted directly above the mech. Kissing was out, but flirting was acceptable, from what she'd seen. Again she wondered who he used to be. Honestly, it was something she grew more curious about the longer it went. The answer wouldn't change the way she felt, but it might help with stuff like this.

He appreciated her intellect to a great extent, however there was nothing wrong with the frame it was housed in, either. "Yes, but that is not to say that you do not possess other characteristics that I find singular," the mech said slyly. It would be wise to, as Rumble had said, 'lighten up' the mood he had inadvertently disturbed. "Why don't you go ahead? When you are finished I will be in the canyon below. I am going to continue my exploration and mapping of the area. There is no need to hurry."

"Alright. Be careful." She replied, ignoring the irony of that remark coming from her after the previous discussion, and climbing higher before righting herself.

"Acknowledged." The mech banked hard to the right and down as the femme opened the throttle and raced toward the waiting storm.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx 

Shockwave was focused on his task and not at all bothered by the fact that Soundwave was hanging around. The tests on the experimental energon were progressing quickly. The sooner he finished, the sooner he could get back to his quarters and away from the others.

The telepath was doing more than killing time. He had taken a small portion of the energon and was conducting tests of his own. When he passed the mine on his way here, the idea of interference entered his processor. Underground, the Ranazite made it difficult to get clear communication signals. Would energon made from the element cause any problems in that capacity? If so, was there a way to neutralize it? And then there were his other talents. Although his ability to sense the feelings and thoughts of others was sometimes a burden, it was a skill he did not want blunted. Especially not with all the underhanded goings on and this business with Megatron.

The mech submerged a tiny receiver in the beaker that was set to record whatever signal came its way. The energon was so dense and bright he barely saw it as it settled to the bottom. Another exactly like it sat on the table. He gave the submerged one a minute to adjust and then began to bombard both with a steady tone on different signals and wavelengths. Soundwave was capable of generating every common frequency and many that no one knew existed, aside from Cybertronian scientists, and even they didn't know what to do with them.

He quickly ran through his arsenal and then retrieved the receivers, taking care to remove all the energon clinging to the one that had been inside the beaker. He inserted them back into a space below the cassette compartment and began to compare the results from each. To his satisfaction, the energon didn't seem to impede the sunken receiver's ability to catch all the signals thrown at it. Both of them matched perfectly. That is until he got to the end of his test. The submerged receiver went silent but the one that had remained away from the energon was showing a return that was most bizarre.

It would have been easy to miss, but it wasn't a fluke or a false return. Soundwave found it disturbing and he wasn't one to feel that way at any provocation. He repeated his experiment, swapping places with the receivers and then using new equipment altogether. The results were the same regardless. Whichever device remained out of the energon was picking up a signal. It hadn't come from him and he'd never seen one like it before. The peculiarity of the wave wasn't what bothered him so much as the fact that he'd missed its presence entirely until now. What was it? His internal scopes showed a vicious looking, jagged waveform. Where was it coming from and what was its purpose?

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx 

If there was anything better than lightning, the femme hadn't discovered it yet. Getting walloped repeatedly by the random bursts of electricity had an effect similar to being overenergized but much shorter lived. When that part wore off, there remained a sensation of power and focus in its wake that left her senses much sharper. Gradually that wore off too, and both side effects lessened as her tolerance increased. Several large bolts were caught and released and now there was a full charge. She felt great…all but for the wing patches. Most of the spot welds were busted, which allowed the patches to flap and rattle and it was annoying. It felt like the rips beneath them were fully healed. Yes, those needed to go. She would go find Cyclonus and see if he would remove them. Also, she was curious about what he was doing as far as this mapping went. The mech had circled outward, barely within the range of her sensors and then began working his way back in to a central point not far from where she was now.

xxx

As he had advised, Cyclonus was waiting in a higher part of a deep canyon. His earlier flights confirmed what he had suspected: They were indeed alone with no hidden danger lurking anywhere within the towering spires of rock. Behind him was a large, elaborately carved entryway, presumably gouged out of the side of one of the mountains by the long gone inhabitants of the planet. There was nothing of value inside. It was only a short tunnel that went back out to a higher area of ground and a trail. He had seen this terminus from the air, but barely. What interested him in the location was how it would afford a measure of privacy. There was no one around besides them, but he felt more confident in his plans with a sheltered location at their disposal.

From where he stood he caught glimpses of Stormvolt going about her business until she followed the weather as it had drifted back the other way. Anticipation was wearing upon his usually steady patience as he watched. He knew what he wanted as an end result but not how to proceed to get it. It wasn't like he had tried it before, not as who he was now, that is. Had he never done it at all? That didn't seem plausible, not if he'd been someone who had existed for millions of years. He had assured the femme that the relationship would proceed slowly and he had been trying to keep his desires in check but it was difficult to do. Still, he would make the advance subtly and would back off upon encountering any resistance. He was fully aware that he was bringing a portion of this frustration on himself with the continued combat training and the like, but it was a necessary activity. He really did want her to be a more than capable fighter but when she dug in an glared at him before launching an attack…. And the way it felt when her armor ground against his. He'd better stop thinking about it before he got himself too wound up, besides, the roar of nearby engines suddenly going silent indicated her approach.

"Wow, what is that?" Stormvolt asked as she drifted downward via antigravity and finally spotted Cyclonus. He was standing on a large natural terrace that was sheltered by an outcropping of rock. There were designs carved into the floor and the walls behind him had more elaborate art.

"You expressed an interest in the creatures that inhabited this planet. I thought you would like to observe some of the relics left behind."

Wasn't that thoughtful of him? The femme landed and immediately became absorbed in taking in the artwork. It was impressive. Columns with vines twisting around them were carved into the stone walls. There were free standing sculptures of animals that the seeker thought resembled lions standing a silent watch on either side of the tunnel entrance. They were more like lions with enormous fangs and manes that grew only on top of the head and extended down the back of the neck like a horse. If the statues were scale accurate and of real animals, by human standards they would have been the size of draft horses. On one side of the arched doorway there were random designs and a group of figures with upraised arms under a big spiky ball that likely represented the sun and the other side was similar except the moon replaced the sun. The figures were the most interesting. They depicted bipeds with long tails and heads that were decidedly reptilian. Was this what the former residents had looked like or was it something else like a representation of their gods?

Cyclonus was following, standing close to her when she stopped to examine a spot in more depth. He was glad for the temporary distraction so that he could think of the best way to proceed. He didn't notice the odd twitch she executed for no visible reason.

It was a wonder she hadn't started more violently when the voice spoke, so involved was she in her study.

_**I am going to be unavailable to you for a time.**_

She hadn't heard from him since her beating at the hands of Galvatron, but as usual, he announced himself when it was convenient for him.

I never know when you're here or not, but why do you want to take a powder now?

_**Trust me. If my suspicions prove correct, you will prefer it that way. **_The voice said knowingly.

Suspicions?

_**Yes, you'll see. But before I go, here's a helpful hint: Subdermal sensor circuits at twenty gigacycles.**_

Subdermal…? She knew all about the sensors. They were beneath one's armor and sheet metal and sensed temperature and pressure, working in conjunction with other sensors on the surface to provide a sense of touch. What did gigacycles have to do with it? He was so annoying when he didn't just come out and tell her what she wanted to know.

There was a devious chuckle and then silence. That figured.

She moved away from the wall and wandered out onto the floor. Huge, glasslike spears of quartz crystals protruded from it in a triangular pattern. A large table that may have been an altar of some kind was situated at the edge of the terrace.

"What do you think this was?" She asked, walking toward the edge to see what lay beyond.

"It appears to be a ceremonial location."

"Yeah, that's what I was thinking." If that was an altar, what did they do with it? Were offerings left? And if so, what kind?

Air currents swirled upward from the drop behind the low, stone table. Did they sacrifice someone and then toss them off the cliff? Was there a giant pile of bones down in the void? On their strongest setting, her sensors didn't find the bottom of the chasm.

The mech couldn't have cared any less what the primitives who constructed this site did with it. He watched the femme as she carefully peered into the drop. He didn't know what she was looking for, but when she frowned, he saw more of the resemblance to Galvatron. The shape of her optics was similar and her features carried a softened version of his sharpness. Combined with the grace inherent to most seekers and her destructive force, the entire package served to make Cyclonus want to pounce on her right then and there, but he would not behave like an animal. He racked his processor for an advance that wouldn't be awkward or strange. Perhaps he should take the direct route like when he expressed his initial interest. No, that didn't seem right either. The uncharacteristic indecisiveness was annoying him. While he stood there, out of his element, trying and rejecting ideas, the problem solved itself the way they sometimes do. Stormvolt stepped back from the edge and tried to reach her wingtip.

An updraft coming out of the depths of the abyss rattled the patches. Those needed to go.

"Cyclonus, how about pulling these patches off? They're coming loose and flapping around and driving me crazy. I'm all healed from before, I think," she said, leaning against one of the big crystals.

"Sit down," he said, and then knelt beside her when she did so. The repair kit he carried had a small light. The weather was moving back the way they had approached and the moon was lending its odd illumination, but the mech wanted to be sure the rip was healed to his satisfaction. The tiny spot welds had popped free in multiple spots and others were cracked. It was easy to move the patch aside and peer at the damage. The front side was good. There was an uneven line where the damage had been. With a little work and some paint, it wouldn't be that noticeable. He carefully pried the patch loose from its remaining welds. They were damaged to the point that Stormvolt didn't feel much. Cyclonus repeated the inspection process on the backside of the wing. That side was even better than the other. One problem remained.

"The welds on this patch are in better condition," he said.

"So you can't take it off?"

"Yes I can, but it will hurt. You can prepare yourself and I will remove it as quickly as possible, or you can wait until we return to Chaar where there are tools that would make it less uncomfortable."

There was only one real choice here. She didn't want him thinking she was a wuss, but this trying so hard to impress him all the time was going to have to ease up. Or else she'd have to find another way to do it. It wasn't such a big deal but it was going to make her worst Band-Aid ever feel like nothing. Shit.

"All right. Do what you have to do. Rip it off."

"Stand by." As he gripped the edges of the patch he felt the seeker's entire frame go rigid in anticipation. He didn't want to cause her pain, but he did approve of her selection of this method.

Cyclonus tore the piece of metal free in one quick motion, expecting a loud outburst. Instead, Stormvolt made a noise between a snarl and a grunt and smacked one fist against the ground, chipping the stone there. The mech didn't say anything but instead began to rub the afflicted area. Gradually she relaxed her posture and didn't make any move to get away from him. He continued to massage the spot and then hesitantly began to expand the coverage, waiting to see what would happen.

Whoa, what was _this_? Usually he maintained indifference, even when he landed a hard hit teaching her to fight. She wasn't expecting him to react this way to a minor pain. And now he was continuing by moving more toward the center of the appendage. She noticed that the circular motions were not as intense, like he was expecting to get into trouble. The seeker certainly didn't want to discourage him and leaned back into the touch, pulling her legs up and putting her arms around them. Immediately the pressure increased and the pleasure it gave did likewise. Oh wow, this was much better than when he put her emblems on (an event that felt like it happened long ago.) There was a brief pause and a heavy scraping noise as Cyclonus positioned himself directly behind her. She was about to glance back to see what he was doing when slow, languorous strokes began to move from near her fuselage out to both wingtips and back, over and over. How far was he planning on going with this?

As if reading her mind he leaned forward until he was against her back and began to massage her shoulders, particularly where the blasters were hidden away.

"Stormvolt," he was right beside her audio sensor and speaking in a quiet voice. It was impossible for her to get goosebumps, but her energon pump radically increased its RPMs and she hoped he didn't hear it. Damn, but that was one sexy voice when he used it the right way.

"If you would permit me…. That is, I…." Why couldn't he just say it? She obviously wasn't put off by what he was doing. Or was she? The femme leaned away and turned to face him. She knew what he was getting at. What else could it be? Rather than make him suffer through asking, she elected to be bold. She hadn't been quite as assertive that way as a human, but it seemed like the thing to do in this instance.

The second in command wasn't taken by surprise that often, but this was one of those rare occasions. He watched her, feeling sure a rejection was forthcoming. Instead the seeker reached up to an area on the underside of the helmet-like part of her head. He saw a red indicator flash on. Until now he had no idea it was there. She carefully tweezed something between a thumb and finger and then a quiet _zzzzzzzzzzip_ was heard. It was her interface connector unspooling from its storage compartment.

She was having a hard time looking him in the optics. Crap, had she jumped the gun? It would be mortifying if this wasn't what he'd meant, but the misunderstanding, if any, was his fault. You don't touch somebody's wings like that and not expect them to get ideas. But maybe she still shouldn't have whipped it out with no warning.

Cyclonus forced himself to react slowly though it was exceedingly difficult. First moving back enough to lean against the crystals, he then extended his hand to the femme. She took it after a tiny pause and allowed herself to be drawn forward. Now what? Was she supposed to sit beside him? The mech wasn't any help, appearing as unsure as she did. Finally she slung one leg over and settled herself so that she was sitting astride him, resting her weight upon the upper part of his legs. That brought no comment. Instead, the mech slowly reached up and extracted his interface connector. Stormvolt noticed that it was a match for hers aside from having gray insulation instead of black. That should prevent anyone from having misplaced pride in the size of them. He held onto it a few seconds and then offered it to her.

Such solemn formality. Was he always like that or was it because it was their first time together? It suddenly occurred to her that possibly she wasn't the only one who didn't have a lot of experience in this area as who they were now. The math was done long ago and she knew he was the same, or very close to the same, age as she was. But still, wouldn't he have the added benefit of millions of years of living from whoever he had been, despite being unable to remember it? She handed him her connector, glad that it took damage or a serious malfunction to give a 'bot shaky hands. Being without many of the physical reactions humans had, it was much easier to play it cool. In certain ways this might actually be better. No one was running the risk of catching anything, pregnancy was out and there wouldn't be any discomfiture over what one looked like upon getting undressed. That was a non issue.

The cables were exchanged and connected to a port beside where the other originated. The seeker knew it didn't hurt (thank goodness for the lengthy and painfully awkward discussion she had once with Skywarp regarding this, both the human and machine version,) but something would happen and she tensed as the cable clicked into place.

Immediately a block of Cybertronian text popped up in half of her vision. It was a list of Cyclonus' systems. Some were written in bright white but most were a dark gray, those being the ones that were unavailable. Okay, she was supposed to access them, but then what? Transferring energy was involved but…

"What's the matter?" She heard. Being connected this way automatically allowed for speaking through the communicator on a direct channel that was inaccessible otherwise.

"Nothing. Why?"

"All of your systems are locked."

"They are?"

"Yes. Do you fear harm? Or have second thoughts?"

"No, I just…." She hated to admit it, but he had to have thought of it himself. "I don't really know what I'm doing."

"I see." Should he confess? Perhaps it would foster a better sense of trust. "If it eases your mind, I do not possess experience in this form either." He was smiling a bit ruefully but did not seem embarrassed in the least.

The femme nodded. She'd never known any human males who would admit to a thing like that. But then, the mech was governed largely by logic. Considered in that light, it made sense. If he wasn't that old and no one else had caught his interest, in addition to the conditions they were under, why wouldn't he be inexperienced? Her situation was mostly the same. She'd been the only Decepticon around until going to Chaar and she'd hated Autobots. The knowledge served to relax her a little. She studied what she had access to and then was able to unlock her own corresponding systems. Even if he'd never done it, he surely had to know more about it than she did, so she would follow his lead for now.

The mech was relieved to see various parts of the list light up. Now what? Equilibrium and Control Surface Velocity sensors caught his attention. There was not much she appeared to enjoy more than flight. He would give her a variation on the act.

Stormvolt knew what he was doing as her own systems told her, but they didn't tell her how it would feel and it was shocking initially. That quickly passed and then it was wonderful, like dense, heavy air rushing over her wings at varying, random pressures and then when he started in on her equilibrium….oh yes. If she blanked her optics out, it was a lot like flight but more intense in some ways, especially when he began to lightly stroke parts of her hull.

She still found it peculiar that although a mech and a femme were physically the same, they had the designations. Was it an indicator of a style like the difference between a coupe versus a fastback? It felt like a good guess. She was a seeker and with an alt mode not all that different from an F-15, yet her robot mode was very different. Her cockpit was recessed partially into her back and an under section of fuselage was on the front side. The piece of metal was turned horizontally in her robot mode and that configuration caused her to have a better rack now than as an organic and it didn't do anything other than serve as armor to protect her spark and other internal systems. She was also rounded where the others were blocky. Whatever. It must be working for her.

The gentle touches continued. Speaking of rounded surfaces, most of the men she'd been with, not that there were that many, were all into breasts and asses, that's what they went after first as soon as it was allowed, anyway. Cyclonus appeared to have a liking for wings, not that this would be unexpected, given that he was a flier, but what else did it for him? Judging from the frequency and manner of his continued contact, the answer was cannons and engines, not that he was neglecting the rest of her. It was different but it wouldn't take all that much to get used to it, not when it was making her feel like this.

The mech continued his actions, gradually incorporating other sensations into the manipulation of her systems that made the femme wonder if he was telling the truth about his level of expertise. It was a thought that lasted briefly before being lost in the pleasurable onslaught.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx 

"You are out of your slagging mind if you think I'm going to take orders from a _Stunticon_," Brawl sneered.

Vortex fought to maintain a calm note in his voice. If he got too aggressive, the discussion would only deteriorate. "That's not what I said. Listen to me closely. We'll let him think he's in charge until the time is right. We need him and the others to make this work." Why didn't he begin with Swindle or Blast Off? No, he would likely require Brawl's particular skills in convincing those two. Things were happening fast and he needed to gather his forces now on order to be ready when the opportunity to seize control arose.

"I don't know."

"That's right. You don't. But I've been planning this for a while now. Once we get Galvatron out of the way then Motormaster's next. Without him, the other Stunticons won't be able to stop us, so they'll have to cooperate."

"Great. And what do we have to do to make this work?"

"For now, nothing. We sit back and let the Quintessons provide what we need."

"What?! You didn't say anything about Quintessons. What do they have to do with this?" Like many things, the mech hated Quintessons, especially when he heard they may have played a part in Blitzwing's exile. He hated the triple changer's aircraft mode, but he did have an appreciation for his tank form. There simply weren't enough of them in the ranks.

Vortex was halfway regretting starting this discussion at all. Some of his teammates were so stupid.

"Those freaks are going to give us the supplies we need to raise an army to take out Galvatron."

"What's that got to do with the rest of it?"

"You let me deal with that part. Your job is to sit tight and be ready when I need you. And whatever you do, say nothing to anyone, especially Onslaught, got it?"

"Yeah, yeah. I got it." Brawl was beginning to feel a familiar dislike rising. Vortex was awfully arrogant lately. Who was he to boss anyone around? For now, he would let it pass. Or let the interrogator _think _it had passed.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx 

Warnings of pending involuntary system restart flashed in her vision but she didn't care. The signals pulsing through her circuits were too good to pull away from. She tightened her grip on the mech and braced for the restart, expecting it to be rough. It was anything but. Her systems shut down not all at once, but one right behind the other, sort of like a playing a glissando on a piano. There was the shortest of pauses and then they came back online the same way but slower. As her optics reactivated, she wasn't surprised to discover she was leaning heavily against Cyclonus who had wrapped his arms around her as he waited. So that was a spike. The overload became intense to the point that all systems had to shutdown and then restart while the excess power was absorbed, that is, unless it was released through one's spark. Stormvolt wondered what the Autobots had made of the human having that as a name and then why was she thinking of that now. It must have taken more out of her than she thought. If the mech was aware that she was online again, he wasn't talking. The interface cables remained connected. Hmmm. Well, now she knew about what it was to receive, time to get a better handle on giving. She carefully assessed what systems of his were available to her. The list scrolled through her vision. If she could, Stormvolt intended to give him something he wouldn't soon forget.

Cyclonus knew that she had regained awareness but he didn't want to interrupt the quiet of the moment, as neither of experienced it often. He was also enjoying a sneaking sense of pride. Despite his lack of experience, he had caused the femme to spike. Given the chance, she might have done the same to him, but he wasn't expecting it now. There would be opportunity for this in the future and…_**!**_

A charge rippled through his neurocircuitry. Another and another, each minutely stronger than the last, followed it. Simultaneously, something began to trace the seams on one wing where the pieces of metal were joined. Then he felt the gentle scratching sensation on the other. The femme pushed away from him and sat up smiling while continuing the indolent maneuvering with the small taser claws on her index fingers. In another situation, her expression may have looked threatening but in this case it only made Cyclonus anxious to see what else she would do. The gentle scratches became stronger as she moved away from the sensitive wings to the more heavily armored areas of his bodywork. The mech had placed his hands back to rest on her outer thighs when she sat up and it was possible to gauge the intensity of his reaction by the way he would squeeze involuntarily when she hit a good combination of charge and touch. Sometimes she even managed to get a hiss out of him by sending the charges closer together and then stronger. At first she thought she'd hurt him somehow despite the fact that is was supposed to be difficult, practically impossible to do without working at it. Gentle scratches turned to more intense caresses that left almost no part of him untouched.

The seeker was feeling very pleased with herself. Judging from the way she made him squirm, she wasn't doing so bad for a first attempt. She had continued randomly searching through the circuits and systems and discovered the one she had been advised of by the voice. There, brightly lit was SUBDERMAL CIRCUITS. It must be what he'd liked back in the day. Not that she thought about it much, understandably, but it gave her imagination no problems whatsoever to think that possibly Megatron had favored things that others wouldn't find too pleasant. Maybe he liked to hurt. There was also the chance that like some in powerful positions, he liked to be the one hurt, although imagining him trusting another that much _was _difficult. No, he acted like he wanted this relationship to work for whatever reason and he had the decency to go away when this was taking place. The idea of him "watching" was too creepy to contemplate. His advice hadn't been entirely bad so she would try it. If it wasn't pleasurable she would cease immediately. The listing turned green as she selected it and began to slowly increase the frequency of the power she was routing into the circuits. The results were immediate.

Cyclonus had never felt anything like it in his life. It was indescribable and it was making him do things that were a tad undignified. He was helpless to counter the femme's moves and he didn't care. The sensations enveloping his frame continued to intensify and he began to see warnings flash in the edges of his vision.

Stormvolt felt the way his entire body was tensed and his back was arched away from the quartz. He was getting closer with each increase of the frequency. She leaned against him in same position she had restarted in. Right as the twenty gigacycle mark was reached, she stretched forward and gently bit the leading edge of the closet wing. It was more of a light graze but it had the intended effect. The mech violently shuddered and released a low, guttural growl before going collapsing back against the crystal. Like hers, his restart was a quick affair.

Cyclonus didn't object when the seeker disconnected his cable from its connection and got up but only because she immediately settled beside him and leaned her head against his shoulder. He carefully removed her cable and handed the end back. The matter came to a satisfying conclusion for the both of them despite the lack of experience. He wasn't expecting such aggression from her this soon, but he liked it. Perhaps, once she had gotten more accustomed to the relationship, she would initiate the encounters. For whatever reason he found that idea particularly intriguing. And neither of them had yet tried manual control of certain internal parts during the act. Such possibilities for the future.

"I would like to remain here longer, but we should return to Chaar," he said, lazily dragging a fingertip across the cannon on her arm that was resting on his midsection. As outstanding as this was, he could not let it interfere with duty.

"Yeah, I guess the smart thing would be to head back. There's a lot to do."

She wondered how, or if, this changed the relationship. Humans got together all the time and it didn't mean anything afterwards. But then again, he'd already liked her before they were close to this. It wasn't simply a random Saturday night incident.

It was something to think about, seeing this side of him, and there was a strong chance she was the only one who ever had. Given what she knew about the flier, she didn't expect him to get all neurotic and ask if it was "good for her" or any of that nonsense. That wasn't a bad thing because she'd always hated it when a guy practically took a survey afterwards (or worse, during.) If he wasn't going to bring it up, neither was she. Could be it didn't change things much. Either way, she didn't mind the possibility of doing that again, especially with the knowledge she'd gotten him to spike…. Unless he'd faked it somehow. Was that even possible? Nah, he wouldn't do that, he'd just tell her what she was doing wrong.

Now it was back to business as usual. The femme stood up and wandered around, taking in more of the alien architecture while she waited on Cyclonus. Best to give him space. He probably didn't care for clingy and goodness knew she didn't. Whatever his feelings now, she had to admit that his ill at ease demeanor in starting the whole endeavor was very endearing. And that was not an adjective one used often in association with a sixty ton death machine.

As he got to his feet and made a few adjustments, Cyclonus was expecting questions and perhaps a measure of uncertainty. He received neither. The mech didn't know that much about the human equivalent beyond the disgusting basics. This being a new experience he thought she would want to discuss it, considering she had shown that tendency in the past. Though it would surely be uncomfortable, he'd try to be accommodating. In his view, there was nothing to talk about. They had interfaced to the mutual satisfaction of both parties and when the correct opportunity presented itself, they would do it again (he hoped.) He craned his neck around so as to glimpse his left wing. The slats moved exactly the way they were supposed to. Not unexpected. He knew she hadn't bitten anywhere near hard enough to hurt anything. Oh no, quite the contrary. There was an odd twinge in his circuits as he thought about it. Apparently, she wasn't going to bring it up, much to his relief. It didn't change his feeling that some manner of reassurance was in order.

He walked over to where she was examining a section of wall into which a series of colored stones were inlaid, and stood close behind placing a hand on her shoulder.

"We must depart. But, we can return for future visits to this site…if you'd like to," he said, his inflection suggesting that it wouldn't be for the purpose of archaeological studies. Inwardly the mech was ridiculously pleased at the response.

Stormvolt placed her hand on his and looked back over her shoulder at him, with a wily smile, optics burning a deep green. "You'd better believe it."

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Author's notes continued; And there you have it. I was trying for something different. It's a hard thing to depict, a couple machines getting it on but without too many similarities to the way humans do it. If you are successful does it still count as explicit? I hope I've managed without making it dull. And I think I've stuck to the no nausea inducing overblown romantic bits rule. By all means feel free to comment or pm or whatever. Oh, and slats are a part on the leading edge of a wing on larger aircraft that move out and increase lift at lower speeds.


	32. Forward Progress

Author's note: Sorry it took so long. Thanks for reading and favorite-ing and such. Transformers belongs to Hasbro and Takara, not me.

A Blessing and A Curse  
By Quetzal1

Chapter 31  
Forward Progress

xxxxx

"What are you worried about?" Frenzy asked.

"Yeah. I thought it was supposed to be fine," Rumble added.

"Me? What are _you guys_ worried about?" Stormvolt countered.

"Nothin', but you built the thing, so the honor of tryin' it out oughta go ta you,"

The femme turned to Rumble. "Right, but you helped a lot. I think you should have the honor,"

"No thanks."

The trio was standing next to the refinery staring at a batch of new energon cubes. They had spent the last couple of days fine tuning the apparatus and sending the results for analysis. According to Shockwave's tests, the initial sample brought to him met all the standards, and after the adjustments, it exceeded them. Despite all the trials and examination and analysis, no one present was willing to be the first to try it.

"Shockwave says it's good."

"Oh, please."

"What? You said he was okay."

"We said _maybe._ There's a big difference in thinkin' and knowin' for sure. We could be wrong," Frenzy said.

"You? Wrong?" The seeker teased.

"Shockin' huh?

"We need a volunteer. Too bad Deadend ain't around," said Rumble.

The cubes were extremely inviting. The three of them stood there tempted but not enough to risk it. The argument would have gone on for a lot longer if not interrupted by Cyclonus.

"Why have you not begun full scale production?" he asked. Shockwave had contacted him and advised of his test results. The scientist was given a cycle to recharge and take care of whatever matters he had to attend to while the others began conversion of the Ranazite they already had. Afterwards, Shockwave would be moving his operations here instead of in the repair bay where he would be put in charge of extracting the Ranazite and then turning it to energon. Cyclonus had other things for the femme to learn and there would be different jobs for the cassettes.

"Cyclonus! Here, why don't you be the first ta try out the new energon," Rumble said, offering him one of the cubes.

The mech frowned at him suspiciously. "What is wrong with it?"

"Nothin'." The petite mech was trying his best to appear innocent rather than sneaky and it wasn't working.

The second in command turned and looked at Stormvolt with curiosity, noticing that she too was scowling at Rumble a little.

"Shouldn't there be field testing? As far as we know it's fine, but…none of us wants to be the first to use it, " she said.

"Why not?"

"Have you noticed that some of the others aren't quite themselves a lot of the time? We were just wondering: what if Shockwave was one of them? It's hard to tell if anything's wrong with him or not." To be honest, she found him rather creepy, what with the total absence of a faceplate. At least with many of the others there was a mask and visor. Shockwave had only a blinking yellow light. There had to be a story behind it but no one had mentioned it to her.

"I see. So I am not the only one to observe this."

"No."

The mech paused and then spoke to someone over his communicator. "Come to the refinery right now…. No, there is no problem, I have a task for you."

"Your volunteer will arrive shortly." Cyclonus said to Stormvolt before turning to regard all three of them. "And who among the others do you feel may be not up to specs?"

"The Constructicons were way off. Remember that day when we first started the mine? They were asking questions that were really dumb for them. And from what I hear, Hook especially hasn't been normal in a while. It's weird though, they didn't seem as bad when I saw them last."

"Who else? I know the two of _you_ have an opinion," he asked, staring down at Rumble and Frenzy.

The small mechs glanced at each other, communications flying silently back and forth.

_What do we do?_ _We gotta tell him somethin'._ Rumble said.

_We'll tell the truth, but not all of it._ Frenzy replied.

_Ya think that's a good idea?_

_I dunno. We don't wanna get caught lyin' to that fragger, right?_

_No._

_Just follow my lead._

"Well, the Stunticons ain't right," Frenzy said.

"Yeah, not that they ever were, but it's worse now," Rumble added.

"In what way?" Cyclonus asked.

"You know. Meaner, crazier," Frenzy said, and was relieved to see the large mech nod and consider the information.

That particular assessment fit nicely with what he had seen lately. The longer they went the worse they became. Additionally, the duo had known what they were like from the beginning and had a better basis for comparison. "Any others?" He asked, turning back toward the femme.

"I don't see the Combaticons enough to know and I'm not sure about Astrotrain. Thrust is out of whack too but how …"

"You wanted to see me, Cyclonus?" A new voice interrupted. It was a lone Sweep.

"Yes. As I said, I have a job for you. Consume the contents of these energon cubes," He said, pointing at them.

The Sweep suddenly appeared uneasy. "Why?"

The hunter heard muffled snickering and turned to glare at the source. The cassettes immediately got themselves under control.

Stormvolt felt kind of bad for the hapless Sweep. "Shockwave says it's fine. He ran tests and everything." And then a partial lie: But we're not certain of the strength and there's other work to do and we can't be wasting half a cycle getting overenergized."

The twins looked at one another again. Slag. They hadn't considered the possibility of _that _happening.

"Also, because I told you to." Cyclonus added, edging slightly closer. Who needed persuasiveness when force was so much faster?

"Alright, alright," the Sweep said placatingly. A single warning was usually all one got. He picked up one of the cubes and eyed it before cautiously using his olfactory sensors to check for anything amiss. It smelled fine but why were the others watching him with such intensity? He sipped the glowing liquid and then paused. Nothing happened and it was some of the best energon he'd tasted since they came to Chaar. The cubes weren't big and they were finished in short order.

"What is it?" He said. The way the others were staring made him nervous.

"Are you okay?" Stormvolt asked.

"Yeah. In fact the longer I stand here, the better I feel," the Sweep said with a loopy grin. It had taken several moments to get going, but the energon was starting to steadily increase its effect on him. The mech was beginning to sway minutely as he stood there.

"There. If he were poisoned we would know it by now," Cyclonus said with a gesture toward the test subject.

"Poisoned?" The sweep asked, with a shocked expression before it dissolved into another grin. He took an unsteady step forward and threw his arm around the shoulders of the other mech. "Ha! That's a good one! You wouldn't poison me, we're comrades." He didn't see the annoyance manifested on said comrade's faceplate.

Frenzy and Rumble were suitably impressed. The cubes were not large at all and it had only taken three of them to get the Sweep trashed. In fact, he was getting worse by the minute. They had blown a golden opportunity, but nevertheless this was fun to watch. Besides, they could snag a couple later when no one was watching.

"Cyclonus old buddy, you're alright," the Sweep said with a friendly pat on the shoulder as he practically hung off the other mech. Somewhere in the recesses of his processor, he knew what he was doing was rather dangerous, but he felt too good to worry about it.

Cyclonus was patient but he had limits. The overly familiar gesture of goodwill was the last straw, causing his expression to change from annoyed to disgusted.

"Get away from me," he said, giving the Sweep a shove that sent him to the floor where he sat giggling to himself. "Idiot."

"Wow. Do you think it's _that_ strong or that he isn't used to real fuel?" Stormvolt asked, trying not to laugh. She wondered briefly what it would have been like if Rumble were successful in his attempt to get Cyclonus to try the energon. The images her processors conjured up were too ridiculous to believe. Did he ever let down his guard enough for something like getting overenergized? Doubtful. It was easy to imagine all his reasons for not doing so. And there was always the chance that he was a mean drunk.

"I would suspect a degree of both. We will most certainly need to dilute it before it is rationed and then gradually lessen the dilution as tolerance increases."

"Rationed?!" Frenzy said. "We got a whole planet of this stuff and you're gonna keep rationin' it?"

"Yeah, and waterin' it down?" Rumble added, appalled.

"Yes, for now. Would you have everyone on Chaar in _that_ condition?" Cyclonus replied, indicating the Sweep who remained on the floor, very absorbed in the task of clumsily disassembling his blaster rifle while continuing to giggle to himself.

"I don't think anybody would mind." A mass overenergizing sounded like fun to him. That hadn't happened in ages.

"Forget it. Begin production of the energon and then join me at the mine after Shockwave arrives and is ready to take over operations here," he said, as he hefted the Sweep upward to a semi standing position. He would watch and see what, if any, further effects the energon had and how badly the subject felt afterwards. As he pulled on the Sweep's arm, a pain flared deep in his side. There it was again. It hadn't bothered him in a long time but now it was worse than before.

"Anything else?" Stormvolt noticed the wince but assumed it came from dragging the Sweep upward.

"No. That will be all for now." Boy when he was on the clock, so to speak, he was all business, the femme observed. You'd never know what the two of them had been engaged in not all that long ago. Not that this was a bad thing. Her friends would unquestionably be scandalized and appalled, not that it was any of their business. He didn't specifically tell her to keep their conduct professional in the company of others, but everything he'd said and done thus far indicated he would prefer it that way. It was understandable given the way things worked here. Maybe soon she could get him alone and see if he behaved differently. She watched as he gave the Sweep another, lighter shove toward the door. The hunter came close but didn't totally hit the mark, catching a wing on the doorframe, spinning around and staggering back, falling into Cyclonus, who caught him. (Though for a microsecond or two he debated moving aside and letting his subordinate fall flat.) Eventually they were able to exit. It was vaguely like watching a Three Stooges routine or Abbot and Costello.

_**Stooges…what an apt description.**_

You're back, huh?

_**Obviously. **_

Where did you go?

_**You'll figure it out soon enough. But never mind me, how was it?**_

It?

_**Don't be coy. You know exactly what I mean. Did you follow my suggestion?**_

Yes.

_**Aaaaaand…?**_

Can we say it was good advice and leave it at that? Damn, man, I don't want to discuss it with you.

She knew the voice was only messing with her out of meanness, but it felt like there was a serious undercurrent to the questioning. Pervert.

We have got to get you back to where you belong.

_**Indeed.**_

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From the relative safety of the repair bay, Soundwave monitored the feelings of Galvatron. It was an uncomfortable task, but he didn't want to get caught as he disassembled Shockwave's equipment for transport. It didn't require much of an effort. The disarrayed thought processes and warped emotions came to him strongly. The tyrant seemed to be arguing with someone although there was no one else about other than the two of them. The one thing they could be thankful for was that he hadn't deteriorated further since his return. If he had remained undiscovered on Thrull for not much longer, he likely would have been functioning at the level of a drone or worse when they hauled him out of the plasma. It was too bad that he had seen fit to destroy the tiny planet. Perhaps the plasma itself had held an answer. Perhaps not. The true answer was likely still waiting for them to find it.

Was it really possible they could somehow restore Galvatron to his former glory as Megatron? The telepath hadn't been plagued with visits during recharge lately. Did that indicate trouble? If there wasn't such secrecy, it would be easier. The only way he knew about Thrull was hearing the Sweeps gossip about it amongst themselves. More processors applied to the problem wouldn't hurt, however, the problem was in knowing whose. Shockwave could be useful, but there would have to be more conclusive evidence than recharge problems, voices, and a loss of control before he would be interested. Cyclonus might unwittingly possess more clues, but he would find any plotting behind Galvatron's back to be treasonous…. Or would he? As far as Soundwave was able to tell, the other mech wasn't feeling guilty over hiding the Ranazite. Now that they were about to produce a large quantity of energon that was nearly high grade, someone would have to enlighten their leader as to what they had been keeping from him. It wasn't an enviable task. Would Cyclonus have the femme do it? The unpredictability made it dangerous so probably not. But according to Rumble and Frenzy, he knew of her past relationship with the tyrant and her former humanity too. Would he reason that she could tell of their discovery with fewer repercussions, if any? That was contradictory too, as the telepath had seen first hand her dents and scrapes resulting from Galvatron's beating. It was hard to use logic in a world that was sorely lacking any.

Contradictions. Had it been difficult for Cyclonus to witness Stormvolt's abuse? How badly were his feelings for her conflicting with his steadfast loyalty? If they had a plan in place to somehow re-establish Megatron would she have any influence over him? One thing that wasn't lacking here was questions. Affairs of the spark were complicated. For now he would be better off working on his most recent finding.

Laserbeak was due back soon, having been sent out with more of the signal receiver/recorders. He was to circle Chaar at various latitudes and then return. It would take some time, but the mech would analyze the results and compare them with the raptor's planetary positioning system. There had to be a clue to the origin of the waves. Finding the source would go a long way toward determining their purpose. With the initial samples already analyzed he couldn't find any message associated with it. As best he could discern, it was only a jumbled mess, almost painful to listen to.

His thoughts were interrupted by a quiet squawk from Laserbeak. Soundwave extended his arm, providing a spot for the cassette to perch. The receivers were affixed to the bird's underside to avoid interference from his engines. The mech removed them and stored them away for later study before Laserbeak reverted to his alt mode and slid back into his own compartment. He was glad to be back and contemplated a recharge before remembering to inform his master of what he had seen. Through their special communication link he alerted the mech to his observations.

"Ravage, Ratbat, eject. Operation: reconnaissance." Soundwave said. He passed along the essentials quickly. The cat snarled in acknowledgment and bounded away, happy to have a mission. Ratbat shrieked assent and followed. Why their master should care what the likes of Motormaster was up to, they didn't know. But they would do as instructed which was to go to the guard post occupied by the Stunticon and determine if any activity of importance was taking place. Laserbeak had spotted a new structure there. It was their responsibility to find out what it was for, as they could get much closer than their avian colleague.

Soundwave watched him go and decided it would be good to return to the relative calm of the mine. There were too many things happening at once.

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The Skuxxoid vowed to himself that if he got out of this alive, he would have nothing to do with Transformers or Quintessons ever again. Even an attempt at earning an honest living sounded good right now. The 'bots had removed the roof of his prison and were idly passing the hours by tossing rocks at him. These were no mere pebbles, but instead, small boulders. Several of them were the size of the prisoner. The squat alien hobbled around stiffly as he dodged the rocks. He was still hurting from the previous abuse and had grown weaker from hunger. Weren't they supposed to be keeping him as collateral? Weren't they concerned that if they hurt or killed him they would get nothing? Was the deal off and they didn't feel obligated to tell him?

"Ha! Did you see how close that one was?" Vortex bragged. His last toss passed so near the alien that he had felt the breeze generated by its flight against his scaly hide.

"That's nothing, watch this," Motormaster said, not wanting to be outdone. As he was going into the windup, a voice intruded.

"It is good to see you are taking such wonderful care of our property."

The mechs turned to see the blue, glowing projection of a Quintesson. Was it the same one as before? There was no knowing.

"Where have you been? We thought you got lost," Motormaster said, tossing aside the rock meant for the captive. Inside the prison, the Skuxxoid fell to his knees in relief.

"It takes time to appropriate the necessary materials."

"Where are they?" Vortex asked.

"Patience. First you must keep your part of the bargain."

"Fine," Motormaster said, then slammed his fist into the side of the makeshift prison, scattering larger stones in all directions. "Hey creep, get out here!"

The alien hobbled out (but not before snatching up his pilfered Ranazite sample and cramming it into his knapsack.)

"Wait a minute," Vortex said. "We're not going to hand him over until you cough up the goods." Motormaster was a fool if he was going to throw away their one bargaining chip without payment up front.

"Very well, bring him to this location and we will make the exchange there," the projected image said before morphing into a map of the area with an x blinking in orange above the listed coordinates.

"That's better."

Motormaster wanted to backhand the Combaticon. He was behaving too arrogantly for his own good, bossing around Deadend and now all this posturing. It was as if he knew something no one else did. That sounded about right. He probably _was_ up to no good in ways detrimental to the Stunticon. Everyone knew they were nothing but criminals anyway. But how could he know for certain? All the others except for Deadend were stuck in these outposts.

"We will transport the materials when you arrive," the Quintesson said as the image faded away.

"Shifty slaggers," Vortex said.

"Where are you going to put it all?" Motormaster asked.

"It'll go with the Ranazite stores."

"Which are where? I don't think you've ever told me."

"You say that as though you don't trust me," Vortex said, with mock hurt.

"Partners shouldn't keep secrets," Motormaster said with equally mocking gentle admonishment. "Where are you going to put it?" He asked again with a more serious tone.

Vortex glared at the Skuxxoid, who wasn't paying much attention to them. The alien just wanted to leave. He couldn't care any less what the two walking junkyards did.

The Combaticon silently transmitted the location of the cave where he had hidden the bulk of the Ranazite. He would put a portion of the energon windfall from the Quintessons in there and also the less powerful weapons. The stronger weapons he would keep for himself.

"Wonderful. I can't wait to see it," Motormaster said.

It was a sentiment that the arriving Decepticons would have shared, but for different reasons. Ravage and Ratbat had reached their objective soon enough to see Vortex roughly grab the Skuxxoid and fly away in the direction of an area that was well known to be unused by any of them. Ratbat didn't hesitate, and silently took off in pursuit of the Combaticon as Ravage settled into his hiding place to watch Motormaster. That explained the structure near the outpost. It must have been a holding cell for the alien. What were they doing with a prisoner and why hadn't they turned it over to Galvatron? It made no sense. If they were going to just kill it, they would have done so right where they were. And now Motormaster had begun hurling away the pieces of the prison a stone at a time. It didn't take long to destroy any sign of the structure. If Laserbeak had come along later, he wouldn't have known it had ever been there. Soundwave had been right to keep them under surveillance, but he almost always was. The mechanoid cat got comfortable and hoped his wait wouldn't be a long one.


	33. One Thing Leads To Another

Author's note: Sorry this took so long, hopefully I can get back on schedule now. Real life can be such a drag sometimes. I have a new question for you. If you're so inclined, please visit my profile to participate. This one just asks for an opinion on a matter of author etiquette that I'm not sure about. Thanks for reading I'm glad that people are enjoying this. Transformers belongs to Hasbro and Takara.

A Blessing and A Curse  
By: Quetzal1

Chapter 32  
One Thing Leads To Another

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Vortex couldn't recall a more beautiful sight than the one before him right then. The Quintessons had made good on their promise and dropped off what was supposed to be the first of many deliveries. There were stacks of energon cubes (which he intended to sample as soon as he was alone) and the components for automated gun emplacements along with a huge cannon.

"I trust everything is to your liking?" The projection was back.

"It's not bad for a start," Vortex replied, carefully masking his pleasure.

"And now that we've delivered as promised, you have to fulfill your part of the bargain," the Quintesson image said, gesturing at the Skuxxoid with a tentacle.

"How do I know you won't back out on the rest of it if I let it go?"

"You don't. However, I can _guarantee_ that you will receive nothing further unless you release our agent."

"Fine." Vortex leaned forward and dropped the alien from a height of about 15 feet rather than placing him on the ground gently.

The Skuxxoid grunted loudly when he hit, landing clumsily on his side, before slowly and painfully getting to his feet. "Thanks a lot you guys, now get me off of this rock," he said to the projection.

"I believe you arrived in a shuttlecraft. We want it back."

"But I don't know where it is and these guys broke my direction plotter," he whined.

The blue, glowing image stared at him and then morphed into a map. "This is where you are now," it said as a red x appeared. "And this is where you left the shuttlecraft." A green x lit up a very long distance away and to the south.

"I've gotta _walk_ all the way down there?"

"Yes, if you want to leave. Otherwise you can stay with Vortex, here. I am confident he would help you find the proper motivation."

The scaly alien glanced up at the Decepticon who was smirking at him. No thanks. "Never mind. I'll find it myself," he grumbled, picking up his knapsack and limping off in the general direction he needed to go. Jerks. He'd find the shuttle and then sell it. That'd teach them. He might even make enough off of it to visit Monacus after all.

"When can I expect the next shipment?" Vortex asked.

"We will return in two cycles."

Vortex nodded and then waited for the Quintesson to take the hint and get lost. The image faded seconds after his silent acknowledgment. Once alone, the Combaticon headed straight for the energon. He lifted a cube and studied it closely. Should he have someone else try it first? What would their new allies have to gain by poisoning them? Nothing, that's what. But to be safe, once the takeover was complete, they would switch over to the Ranazite derived fuel. He drank from the cube as he walked in a large circle around the bounty. Yes, this was a good start. Running his free hand down the barrel of the enormous cannon, he knew that it was definitely an item he would keep for himself. The problem was, he was going to require help to move it.

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"That is good stuff," Frenzy said, as he chucked an empty cube over his shoulder and into a pile of scrap parts.

"I don't know how ya can tell," Rumble complained. "There's not enough here to do much." He had all but finished the small cube, and though he claimed he didn't feel it at all, the femme saw that both of them were more talky and a tiny bit slouched in posture. They had to be affected. She was much larger than either of them but felt the faint hint of a circuit buzz.

The trio had received word from Cyclonus that the Sweep suffered no ill effects from the energon. He hadn't consumed enough to offline himself so what one would feel like after that was a mystery for now. This information however, needed further confirmation as far as they were concerned.

"Come on. You guys know we can't be getting wasted. Shockwave is supposed show up anytime and Cyclonus has something else for us to do as soon as we're finished here."

"Pffft. Cyclonus," Rumble said. "What do ya see in that guy anyway?"

"Lots of things,"

"Like what?" Frenzy asked.

"I don't know… it's hard to explain. Why are you so interested?"

"I wanna know how somebody who's normal decides they like a mech like _him_." It was true but he also wanted to know so they could eventually play up whatever similar aspects Soundwave had.

"Yeah? Well _I_ want to know what it is that you _don't_ like, and don't give me any of that zombie bullshit, either."

"He's spooky," Rumble said without pause. "Always standin' around and not saying nothin' much,"

"That's true, he doesn't say much sometimes, but Soundwave says less and you don't think he's spooky," Stormvolt replied. In truth, though she had nothing against him, she found interacting with the telepath a tad unsettling. Not only was he mostly silent, but also his hidden faceplate and optics negated any clue as to what he might be thinking.

"What? Soundwave's just bein' observant. At least when he does talk you can bet it ain't gonna be nothin' about how great Galvatron is," Rumble replied, mildly insulted by the comparison.

"Right! Cyclonus is always goin' on and on about Galvatron," Frenzy said.

"I can see why you'd think that, but I've talked to him lots of times and the subject never came up."

"What does he talk about when it ain't Galvatron?"

"Mostly soldiering. Air combat techniques, hand to hand fighting, Autobots. You know," Stormvolt said. _And things I'll never, ever tell you about, _she added mentally, thinking about his awkward but endearing attempt at suggesting they interface_. _

"Sounds thrillin', "

"It's more interesting than you'd think."

"I should hope so."

There was a brief silence and then, as if suddenly realizing it, Rumble added: "He ain't got a sense of humor."

"Yes he does. He even made a joke once. Sort of."

"No way. What was it?"

"Uhhh…you'd be happier not knowing. Trust me."

"Was it at least funny?"

"Not exactly, but my point is, he tried." Another thought occurred to her. "Does Soundwave ever do that?" She couldn't imagine it.

"You still ain't told us what it is you like," Frenzy said, ignoring the question and changing the subject.

"Okay…I like that he's quiet, but we've already covered that. He's also smart and patient and not mean solely for the sake of his own amusement."

"What else?" Ah ha! Soundwave was all of those. In fact, he was unable to recall a single instance of the mech being nasty strictly for fun. It could've worked out so that an action taken in the line of duty was entertaining but that wasn't the same as doing it simply because you felt like it.

"There's none of that underhanded plotting going on."

"Go on." Another likeness in their favor.

"He's not slack about his job and takes pride in it."

"Eh, that's no big deal," Rumble said, trying to be helpful to his teammate. "A lot of us do that."

"Right," Frenzy agreed and was about to continue when Rumble added:

"Like Soundwave for example. Now there's a…OW!" He began when a loud clank echoed from beneath the table.

"What was that?" Stormvolt asked, while noticing Frenzy was scowling at his twin in an uncharacteristic fashion.

"Nothin'. I… just banged my leg against the table, that's all," he lied. Frenzy could be touchy, but he didn't have to kick so hard. It probably left a dent.

"Geez, are you okay?" She knew he was lying. If he hit it that hard the table would have jumped or at least shook. There was also Frenzy's reaction.

"You oughta be more careful," the red mech said pointedly. It was one thing for the femme to mention Soundwave, but if they did, it made what they were trying to do far less subtle.

"I will but ya might wanna try followin' your own advice," Rumble said. "Ya know, so that or _worse_ doesn't happen to _you_." It sounded like a thinly veiled threat, which it was.

"What else?" Frenzy asked, relentlessly continuing his interrogation and ignoring the threat.

Now that she thought about it they'd brought up Soundwave in other conversations. Were they getting ideas, and if so, were they ones they'd come up with on their own? There were a number of slight similarities between him and Cyclonus but there were far more differences. Maybe she needed to bring those up.

"He is one fiiiiiiiine looking piece of machinery," she said, in a sultry voice, leaning down and forward over the table until she was at eye level with them. "And that alt mode is _smooth_." It took effort not to lose her composure and laugh at the expressions of horrified disapproval in front of her. But not too much. It wasn't as if she was lying.

"Ew. Now your bein' nasty," Frenzy said.

"You're way too interested in what I've got going on. What about you two?"

"What about us?" Rumble asked, thoroughly caught off guard.

"Isn't there anyone special?"

"In that crowd? No way."

The femme considered for a moment. "Alright, I can see that I guess, but what about before the war? Or later when the Decepticons had Cybertron? Or ever?"

"Not really."

"Oh, come on."

"Seriously."

"You're telling me that in millions and millions of years nobody's caught your optic?"

"We're not sayin' we haven't had our fun," Frenzy said, with a wily smile and then turned to Rumble. "Remember Stinger and Buzzbomb?"

"Do I! Now there was a pair."

"Who's that?" Stormvolt asked, interested as always in Decepticons she'd never met and her friends' history.

"They were twins, like us."

"Cassettes?" It was hard to picture another version of Soundwave lurking around.

"No. They were… " Frenzy began, as the door banged open.

Shockwave entered the room and peered around. Though he was devoid of any facial features except for the one yellow optic, the others easily sensed disgust emanating from him. He'd always had a high and mighty attitude with everyone except Megatron.

"Greetings Shockwave," Stormvolt said. Crap! She'd wanted to learn more about the other 'bots but it would keep.

"I will require a status update and an overview of this apparatus before I assume control of the facility," he replied in his usual superior tone, dispensing with any pleasantries.

"How ya doin'?" Rumble said, anticipating the reaction.

Shockwave looked down at the twins, said nothing, and then returned his focus to the seeker. "What do you have to report?" He demanded.

The last she'd heard, none of them were taking any orders from this jerk. So much for professional courtesy. "Why don't you guys go ahead?" She said, ignoring the mech. "I'll be along as soon as I get him up to speed."

It felt like an understated insult, "up to speed," but Shockwave would not dignify any of these lesser machines by prolonging the interaction. He wanted them gone so he could be alone with his thoughts.

"Okay, later," Frenzy said, as he exited.

"Always a pleasure, Shockwave," Rumble added with exaggerated gentility as he followed.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Galvatron paced back and forth, stewing. Having been repaired and feeling more correct than he had in many cycles, he began (as usual) to think about the latest insult to befall him. It was embarrassing. No matter what he tried, the Autobots continually thwarted him. This time they had independent assistance from his so-called allies the Quintessons.

Before now, the tyrant had mostly put aside his thoughts involving that incident. He had been more interested in his repairs and his success in discovering what was so familiar about the seeker. Would implanting nanites into any human create the same results? It would not be a bad way to create a larger army. The likelihood of any new sparks being produced was minute and it wouldn't matter if they had hundreds of them because there were no protoforms to implant them in.

_**You haven't the facilities to try experimenting on any humans.**_

"Not that it's any business of yours," Galvatron said. Now what? Was it going to cause him more pain? He hated surprises.

_**But it is. That's all we need is to get caught and bring down the Autobot forces on all our heads. You know if they found out about such an effort it would stir up their ridiculous notions of equality and the insufferable righteousness that comes with it. There would be no comeback from such an event.**_

"Shut up. And what do you mean 'we'? "

_**I am merely trying to help. You and I are on the same side after all.**_

"Oh? Your earlier behavior suggests otherwise."

_**That couldn't be helped. I had to get your attention one way or another.**_

"So now that you have it, what do you suggest? Enlighten me with your brilliance."

_**We should strike Earth and destroy any Autobots that are drawn out.**_

"_That's_ your plan? What is the point?"

_**That miserable planet is a soft target. You haven't the forces for striking much else. It would be easy to cause much collateral damage. The Autobots will undoubtedly make good on whatever destruction occurs. Nevertheless, it would strain relations with the humans.**_

"I don't think the humans would be so stupid as to attempt to face us without the assistance of the Autobots,"

_**You can never be certain of what will sway the flawed thinking of the flesh creatures. Perhaps nothing will come from it, but at the very least, it will be fun.**_

"You may be on to something. Yes! I can make the organics suffer!" Galvatron said, resuming his pacing as he considered the best location for a strike.

_**Excellent. **_The voice was stuck where it didn't want to be but that had no ill effects on its skill for manipulating others for its own purposes.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The mine hadn't expanded much. Digging had gone on around the clock, but the Decepticons had barely removed any of the Ranazite from the first chamber. Large piles of the element were accumulating but there appeared to be an endless supply. It didn't help that aside from the Constructicons, there was no heavy equipment to remove it. Most of the mechs were going about the task with picks fashioned from various items of debris. The irony of the most sophisticated mechanisms the universe had ever seen performing this job by the most primitive means possible was not lost on the seeker.

"I trust there were no problems with the transition," Cyclonus said.

"No. Shockwave has it under control," Stormvolt replied. "What are we doing now?"

"Not 'we,' _you_."

That didn't sound good, but the mech gave the impression of mild amusement as opposed to his usual deadly seriousness.

"Alright, what am _I_ doing?"

"Being a warrior and an officer requires more than combat skill. You must also develop leadership abilities which will make you more effective on and off the battlefield." He paused briefly to see if she had anything to say to that before continuing in a louder voice that allowed the others to hear him despite the noise surrounding them. "Scourge and I have other matters to attend to and so you will be left in charge of the mine." A few of the others stopped what they were doing to watch.

"Is there a specific objective you want completed?" The femme asked. She maintained a business as usual façade but wondered how the hell she was going to make it work. She couldn't ask Cyclonus because he had already drawn the attention of the other mechs. All Decepticons were good at spotting weakness. If she showed any concern or faltered in any way, it would all be over as soon as she was left alone.

"No, just maintain production and keep the shirking of duty to a minimum."

"As you command," she said formally, knowing the others were listening.

"Very well, I will return later. The Sweeps shall remain behind to assist you." He was purposely trying to make the job more difficult in order to see what she would do. He wanted it to be a good challenge, but he wasn't trying to make it dangerous. Best to remind these slaggers that they would be wise not to get too far out of line.

She nodded in acknowledgment but said no more, though fairly certain getting shot with a low powered laser in the name of learning was preferable to this. The idea of leading anyone hadn't occurred to her.

Cyclonus turned to leave but then stopped. "Stormvolt?"

"Yes?"

"You do understand that I am holding you responsible for whatever transpires, correct?" Because of the angle, no one saw the way the second in command was smirking at her despite the grave, almost threatening tone of voice he used. He didn't plan on being gone long and wasn't worried about her coming to any real harm, but chaos was a strong possibility, especially with a little help.

"Completely," she said through a clenched jaw, smart enough to see what he was doing. The others would be more likely to give her a hard time if all the blame was off them. She wished the twins were there to witness this. Oh yes, he had a sense of humor all right and it was thoroughly twisted.

The mech left and it was extremely quiet. Two Sweeps watched from their perch on a high ledge, weapons at the ready. They were ordered not to interfere unless it became unavoidable but they were quite curious to see what would happen next.

The seeker glanced about. There was no sign of Soundwave or any of the cassettes. Every optic in the place was on her. Many were resigned, others were challenging but none were friendly. Ugh. Well, this was no place to hesitate.

"What are you gawking at? Get back to work," she snapped. To her relief, Long Haul and Scavenger began to do just that, though for the most part, Constructicons did what they wanted but no one cared as long as it furthered the overall purpose.

"Why should we listen to you?" A voice demanded. Stormvolt turned to discover Astrotrain slowly advancing.

Shit. "You wouldn't talk to Cyclonus or Scourge like that." It was lame but why not try it? Long ago she'd attempted a similar tactic on her brother the first time or two she'd been left home alone with him. Mostly they'd gotten along but like all siblings there were phases of disagreement.

Astrotrain quickly reminded her of one of those phases and why she'd only tried that with Tommy on a couple of occasions and with the same snotty tone and nearly the same reply: "Yeah, but they're not here are they?"

Okay. An appeal to his good sense wasn't going to work, not that he had much according to her recollection, but there was one thing he would be certain to understand. She hated to resort to this right off, but if he were allowed to get away with this there would be no hope of her getting control of the situation again.

"What do you say to that?" he asked, as he moved a step closer. Why should he have to listen to this femme who had only arrived recently? He was sick of taking orders from newcomers.

"You will cooperate or else," she said, her voice going low and steady but with the warning clearly implied. When in doubt, make threats. It was her best attempt at sounding the way Megatron used to before he delivered a violent punishment for one transgression or another.

"Ha!"

"Need I remind you of that Autobot?" She asked, holding her hands out and up on either side as a long, white bolt of electricity danced between the thumb and index finger on each. "I can do that to you too if you want."

The mech said nothing. Oddly, he'd managed to forget about that. He forgot a lot of things these days. But slag, what could he do now? It was unthinkable that he back down. The seeker stared up at him, waiting on a response.

"You wouldn't dare," he said, but didn't appear entirely sure of the statement.

"Oh but I would, Astrotrain, make no mistake about that," she said, taking a step nearer.

The silence drew out for several seconds as the two of them faced off while everyone else watched. Finally the mech relented.

"It wouldn't even be a challenge," he said, and went back to his spot on the far side of the chamber.

It was tempting to take a shot at him, but she knew he was talking shit to salvage his pride. The tension had disappeared and he others were slowly going back to the job. Great, that was one near catastrophe avoided, but now what? How long before the next? What she needed to do was win them over, like in the beginning. Loyalty among her kind was difficult to obtain. According to what Cyclonus said, she was an officer now, though where she was in the chain of command was unknown. However, her being left in charge implied that she outranked these guys and they unquestionably resented the hell out of it, considering she was new and they knew nothing about her. It would perhaps be worse if they did. The problem was not how to make them like her, because that wouldn't happen anytime soon if ever. It didn't seem to be in their general nature. However, it was possible to earn respect. They obviously feared her power, especially not being aware of its limits, but that wasn't what she was after. There needed to be a common ground regardless of how small.

The seeker walked a short distance to where an extra pick was leaning against a rock. She hefted it and inspected for damage before swinging it into the wall. Nuggets of red striped stone fell to the floor. She wiggled the pick free and tried again all while keeping up a scan to make sure no one was going to try to attack when she wasn't paying attention. Yeah, this wasn't a lot of fun but it wasn't particularly difficult. After a few swings she noticed that it had gotten quiet again. She turned to find them once again staring at her.

"Don't you all have something to do?" She asked, holding up one hand in a threatening gesture as the electricity jumped between the taser contacts. The point was made and the mechs went back to their appointed tasks, sporadically shooting a glance toward the femme to see how long she would continue.

xxx

In only slightly more than half an hour, the pile of stone grew and was soon in need of being cleared away. Stormvolt looked around to see what kind of progress the others were making. Most of the mechs had as much or more than she did. She noticed that they would kick whatever they had dug loose out away from them rather than piling it up or carrying it somewhere else. Closer examination showed that there were marks worn in the ground from tracks rather than wheels. Evidently when enough accumulated, either Scrapper or Scavenger would come along and take care of it. Most likely Scrapper as it would be easy for him to transform and push it down to the large pile near the ramp to the surface. At the opposite end of the chamber, she noticed that Hook, Scrapper and Scavenger were carefully checking over a flat wall, stopping off and on to hold a discussion. What were they doing?

"I can't find anything that would rule it out," Scavenger said, with his usual unsure but eager to please manner.

"Of course we would have to support the interior on this side and that would involve an extensive framework," Hook said.

"What's going on?" Stormvolt said, as she got close keeping the question neutral rather than accusatory in tone. Ordinarily she'd be more polite about butting in but that wasn't how it was done, especially these days. The trick would be striking the right balance of competence and authority without going too far and acting arrogant.

"We are considering the possibility of blasting this wall out of the way," Scrapper replied, with none of the hostility the femme was expecting. He had been loyal to Megatron and for now was loyal to Galvatron. If the seeker had been promoted to a position of authority, he wouldn't argue it.

"Why?"

"Behind it are a series of antechambers leading to another main chamber comparable to this one. It would be more efficient to eliminate all obstacles between here and there instead of using tunnels. Furthermore it would allow us to remove the Ranazite that would go to waste if we were to use tunnels. Soundwave is in there now obtaining sonar readings that will further determine feasibility of the project."

Interesting. He definitely sounded a lot brighter than he did when all this first started.

"I see. How much longer before you know absolutely?"

"There's Soundwave now. It all depends upon his findings."

The mech approached and as he was about to speak, every communicator came alive with the strident voice of Galvatron. "Attention Decepticons! The following will report to the staging area immediately: All Constructicons, all Combaticons, all Stunticons, Astrotrain, Cyclonus, Scourge, and all Sweeps."

Wow. Something big must be about to happen. Immediately the Constructicons headed for the exit with purpose. Astrotrain tossed his pick aside and paused to fling a gloating smile toward Stormvolt before leaving.

"I guess we're riding the pine today, huh?" Stormvolt said. Damn, would she _ever_ get to go on a mission?

Soundwave wasn't familiar with the expression, but heard the disappointment in her voice as he looked down at her in his normal enigmatic style. Their exclusion was most fortunate. The two of them needed to talk.


	34. Enlightenment

Author's note: This one borrows some events and a tiny bit of dialogue from the episode _The Burden Hardest to Bear_ written by Michael Charles Hill (the one where Scourge gets the Matrix and goes on a rampage.) It's starting to snowball. Lots happens this time and the next and after that. Thank you for reading. As I'm sure you know, Transformers belongs to Hasbro and Takara but not me.

A Blessing and A Curse  
By: Quetzal 1

Chapter 33  
Enlightenment

xxx

"And you say you discovered this accidentally?" Stormvolt asked, examining one of the signal receiver/recorders that Soundwave was using in his study of the unfamiliar waves bombarding Chaar.

"Affirmative," Soundwave replied. He had advised the femme of his findings and continued research in an effort to gain another perspective and also so she would have the background before he made a request. He doubted that something as strong as the waves were emanating from her, but it was never a bad idea to substantiate such doubts with evidence.

"Have you received any further communications from Megatron?"

"Yes, earlier today as a matter of fact. Why?"

"Can you contact him at will?"

"I don't know. Usually it's a 'Don't call me, I'll call you' sort of arrangement."

"Explain."

"He speaks to me or shows up when he feels like it and not before."

"Has he always operated in that manner?"

"Mostly. It's odd. The longer I'm here the less I hear from him. In the beginning he wouldn't shut up. He was always telling me to do one thing or another and giving his opinion. You remember. I told you about how if anything dangerous was going on or it looked like it was about to, he told me what to do or somehow gained control."

"Activate the receiver and attempt to communicate with him."

The femme pressed a tiny button and an even smaller light illuminated on the device. Surely she wasn't the cause of the mystery wave. There was one way to find out, that is, if the other party wanted to cooperate.

Hey, she thought.

_**You do realize that when I am restored to my rightful place you will be required to address me in a more respectful manner, don't you?**_

I hadn't thought about it. Why did you decide to answer me now?

_**This is important. The two of you may be on the verge of an important discovery.**_

"What is your status?" The telepath asked, and jerked when he got the unexpected response.

_**It isn't polite to interrupt, Soundwave.**_

Forgive me, he thought. He had never been contacted this way, on line and alert. Before he had always been in recharge.

_**I will excuse it this time. Now get back to the task at hand.**_

"As you command," Soundwave said.

"What? Oh, he was talking to you wasn't he?"

"You can not hear it?"

"No, only when he talks to me. It's freaky though, huh, having him in there?" She asked, lightly rapping her knuckles against the side of her head. "He comes and goes as he pleases and I never know when or where or if I'll hear from him." She returned the recorder to the mech. "Do you think we got anything?"

'Freaky' indeed. Soundwave's mind was very private and ordered and it was extremely unnerving to have someone hearing his thoughts. How did the seeker live that way? "Stand by. Analyzing now."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The pre-dawn view from near the top of Mt Fuji would have been breathtaking were it not obscured by clouds. Galvatron had selected Japan as a target because of the density of the population over a small area. That made perfect sense if one was out to cause destruction, as the Decepticons were. What did not make sense as far as Cyclonus was concerned was the reason for wanting to cause the aforementioned destruction. They were exposing themselves to attack and using up resources for no particular objective. He watched as their leader scowled into the dark sky, waiting for the return of Astrotrain and Blast Off who were out scouting the area before they attacked, and wondered how long they could keep up these pointless endeavors. He knew all too well the others didn't have much confidence in Galvatron, although today, there wasn't a lot of the usual grumbling. Some of them gave the impression of being eager for action and that was decidedly abnormal. Others behaved strangely in different ways. For instance, why was Motormaster staring at him with that insolent expression? Cyclonus glared back but left it at that. As he switched his focus to the sky, he caught a glimpse of Vortex who was also scowling at Motormaster with annoyance. What was going on there?

Almost all of them were on this mission, which didn't leave an adequate force behind on Chaar to protect the mine. The second in command wasn't especially worried about it but he would have felt better if there were more of them. Pretty soon, the entire matter would no longer be a secret from Galvatron or anyone else. Given the way the others talked, it probably _wasn't _a secret to anyone else aside from Galvatron, except perhaps the Predacons. They too were loyal but somewhat unpredictable, and he had decided to keep them uninformed until later. It was easy to do as they preferred to stay away from the general population and spent an inordinate amount of time in their animal alt modes.

He had advised Stormvolt via encoded communication that they were going off world and without actually saying "Earth", had also told her of their objective. He wondered if she was relieved to remain behind. The seeker hadn't commented on it one way or another but she had made a peculiar request of him. It had sounded harmless so he agreed to do it if he was able. Given their proximity to the human settlement of Tokyo and the current lack of activity, now would be the best chance for a successful attempt.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx 

"Will ya get outta my way?" Rumble hissed, as he pushed lightly at Frenzy.

"Quiet down! Do ya want 'em to hear us?"

"No, but I wanna see what's goin' on."

"All right, quit yer shovin'," Frenzy said, carefully adjusting his vantage point to allow his twin to squeeze in and observe what was taking place in the main chamber.

xxx

The pair was left in the most recently surveyed chamber when Soundwave went off to inform the Constructicons of his findings. They heard Galvatron's summons but were fine with not being included. No sense in going off and getting shot at for nothing and then blamed when the plan inevitably failed. They waited and then became curious when Soundwave neither returned nor contacted them. Maybe they should go see what was keeping him.

They got a couple of steps into the main chamber when Frenzy saw that somehow, without his or Rumble's direct action, their scheme was in motion. Soundwave and Stormvolt were standing near one another talking quietly with no one else around. The red mech suddenly stopped, holding out one hand and pointing with the other. Rumble recognized the tense, alert posture and remained silent while peering in the direction indicated. Well how about _that_?

Carefully they backed up until they were out of sight in the narrow entryway cut into the wall. They would not interrupt but there was nothing wrong with a little spying.

xxx

So far there wasn't much to see. Stormvolt was wandering around, pausing to absently kick at a random chunk of stone here and there as Shockwave stood motionless, doing nothing, or so it appeared at first glance. Both cassettes knew it meant he was focused intently on something. What was it? Neither of them was particularly interested in that. Was their plan working? They were curious to hear the conversation.

xxx

"Analysis complete," Soundwave said. His monotone voice did not reveal his perplexity.

"And?"

"Results: negative. It is not the source of the unknown signal."

"You didn't find anything at all?"

"When he contacted me directly it was through a multilayered encrypted signal that he used. How do you know it?"

"I don't. I told you it happens all on its own."

Most peculiar. How did it function in this matter? What they were dealing with was not supernatural and was proven by hard data, which meant there was a rational explanation. Further information was required.

"Have you noticed any changes in the voice from when you were on Earth and now?"

That was a good question. The femme thought about it a bit before answering.

"In the beginning, it, I mean _he,_ didn't say anything that I didn't already know if I'd stopped to think about it. It was mostly reminders of standard common sense items. I thought it was just this bizarre extension of my subconscious."

"And now?"

"Gradually he started telling me stuff I didn't know and how to do things, like when I had to fight the Sharkticon. But before that he was starting to behave in ways that made me think that it wasn't strictly me, that it was something else entirely."

"How so?"

"The way he hates Galvatron, for one. Sometimes he sounded completely enraged even though I was perfectly calm or scared or whatever."

"When did he first begin appearing to you?"

Geez, was this an interrogation? "That didn't happen until after I got here. The same way as he'd never…taken over, I guess you'd call it, till then." There was a slight pattern emerging. On Earth he'd been helpful and sensible. After reaching Chaar he continued to be helpful, but also became demanding and conniving, more his old self. How had she not noticed this before now? But of course manipulation had been and remained one of his many talents and it wasn't as if nearly every on line minute wasn't taken up with various jobs and projects.

"Evidence suggests that your arrival here in some way served to make him more powerful than before," Soundwave said. "But going to Cybertron was your idea, correct?"

"Not entirely. I wanted to find everyone else but he was the one that suggested Cybertron. I didn't think I could make the trip until he pointed out a few things."

"There was no mention of Chaar?"

"No. I had never heard of it or Galvatron until Cyclonus dragged me here."

So the voice or whatever drove it hadn't been aware of any of that. But what would have happened if everything were different? Suppose the Decepticons still held Cybertron and Megatron had lived. What would have happened to it then? It was intriguing but contemplation of that was pointless. The femme came to Chaar and then encountered Galvatron. After that the voice became something much more than it was previously. But what was it really? His train of thought was interrupted by the return of Ravage and Ratbat. Although they hadn't been specifically recalled, there was no need for them to remain where they were with no one to spy upon. Soundwave opened the compartment for the cassettes who immediately launched themselves toward it. They were eager to share what they had learned.

Stormvolt watched and wondered if they had the same mass displacing abilities as some of the others, because otherwise it must have been extremely crowded when all six of them were in there. Soundwave went silent again, taking in the new information.

xxx

"What the frag are they talkin' about?" Frenzy asked. He had not been dropping hints and trying to get the two of them together so they could stand around talking business.

"Ya got me," Rumble said. "I can't figure out who they mean."

"I wonder if it's got somethin' to do with what's been buggin' Soundwave and whatever him and Ravage wouldn't tell us about."

"If it does, then Ratbat's in on it too."

Soundwave continued the information download and then ejected the four cassettes within the compartment. "Rumble, Frenzy, join us.," he said.

Stormvolt knew they were nearby but she presumed they were only taking a break while they waited on Soundwave. From their guilty demeanors, she knew they'd been eavesdropping. If, she was correct and they were trying to get her interested in Soundwave, they must have been disappointed.

"What's goin' on?" Rumble asked.

"Oh, hey, Blue. When did you get here?" Frenzy asked.

The femme didn't answer but frowned at him with disapproval. Someone needed to tell them that they weren't too good at the innocent act at all.

"What?"

"Silence. We do not have time to waste and there is much to discuss."

The small mechs didn't argue. When Soundwave got this way, it meant something was up.

"Does what those two told you just now have anything to do with what he said about someone plotting and underhanded schemes?" Stormvolt asked, gesturing toward Ratbat and Ravage. There was no need to clarify who "he" was.

"Affirmative."

"If you're going to tell them everything, there's at least one more among us who should know."

"Who?"

"Thrust. Someone beat him up trying to find out about me, so I'd say it's a reasonably safe bet that he's not in on any plans to take over," She said, unaware that the mech had known before Thrust himself who had perpetrated the assault.

"Agreed. I will summon him."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx 

It wasn't particularly outstanding to be back on Earth, Deadend thought, but at least here he didn't have to participate in Motormaster's scheme. Also, it kept him safe from Galvatron's wrath over his forces being easily routed. And he wasn't alone, as Wildrider had also been ordered to remain behind. They had no particular instructions other than to spy on the Autobots. That ought to be boring, considering that their enemy had nothing much to do here other than fix the mess their latest battle had caused.

The others hadn't been gone long. Night had fallen which was a good thing because it allowed them to move about more freely. Wildrider was getting bored with hiding in one spot. As they were about to go back into the city they spotted an unlikely sight: Rodimus Prime alone and unprotected. The two Stunticons immediately headed off in pursuit.

The chase would have taken longer if not for the presence of the human. Nobody shot at a Decepticon and got away with it for long. A well-placed oil slick took care of her as her vehicle went out of control and left the road, coming to rest in the edge of a pond. As Deadend had suspected, this action forced Rodimus to attempt a rescue. Bad, bad idea. As soon as the Autobot leader got himself turned around and ready to come to the aid of the human, Wildrider rammed him head on, knocking the do-gooder over the edge of a steep, rock strewn drop off. They transformed and ran to the edge to see the carnage. Neither of them expected the explosion but it was a nice surprise.

"He done blew up real good," Wildrider said happily.

There was too much smoke to see clearly. "Yes, lets go get a good look," Deadend said. It didn't take them long to work their way down to the crash site. An explosion didn't necessarily mean death. The Autobot must have taken a hard hit because he hadn't bothered to transform back to his robot mode yet. They should finish him off. Deadend was about to suggest this when he caught sight of something on the ground nearby.

"Hey, what's that?"

"What's what?" Wildrider asked.

Deadend crouched and reached into a crevice in the ground that was covered in loose dirt and rocks. The glow became brighter as he pulled the object free. "This," he said, holding it out.

Un-fragging-believeable! Wildrider could hardly contain himself. "It's the Matrix, the secret to the Autobots' power! Galvatron's gonna love this!"

For any good fortune that happened, there always followed bad to balance it out. Deadend was pleased by their find but not the idea of giving it to Galvatron. He was also kind of surprised Wildrider didn't mention handing it over to Motormaster. But that would unquestionably make more trouble, so he wasn't about to suggest it.

"Now we can go back to Chaar," Wildrider added. No one had told them when they were allowed to return, but again, Deadend wasn't going to argue. He didn't want to hang around with such an item in their possession. Sooner or later the other Autobots would learn what happened and come after them. If Galvatron found out they had the Matrix and then lost it, they would definitely be in more trouble than they would be for returning early.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx 

"Let me get this straight. What you're tellin' us is that Motormaster and Vortex and probably some of the others are plannin' a takeover and they got the Quintessons to help 'em?" Frenzy asked uncertainly. The observations of his comrades indicated nothing else, but that wasn't the part that troubled him. He wanted to ask but was trying to think of the best way to pose that particular question.

"Right," Stormvolt said.

"Yeah, but ya know about all this because Megatron told ya to watch out for it which means he's still…alive?" Rumble asked incredulously. He wasn't concerned with being polite and unlike his twin, wasn't going to find a better way to phrase it. What he saw when the Quintesson tried to take Scourge hadn't been forgotten but there were other explanations for that.

"Yes, and no. He's _something_ but I don't know if it's alive, exactly," Stormvolt said.

"What do ya mean some…"

"How can that be possible?" Thrust interrupted. "How do we know that the two of you haven't been affected by Galvatron's madness?" He was having no issues with the concept of a coup being plotted. In truth he was surprised that no one had tried before now. But he was not willing to believe that all of them had been led to this point by their dead leader and he certainly wasn't willing to accept any dangers that would come with taking action at the behest of somebody's malfunction.

"You have not experienced what we have. However that does not render it untrue," Soundwave said.

"Yeah, but Soundwave, how can ya be sure? How do ya know that it's not…not whatever's been makin' the others all glitched up?" Frenzy asked gently. The idea of his team leader succumbing to that was painful to think of and difficult to say out loud.

"The evidence supports our assertions," Soundwave said, aware of the cassette's disturbed feelings.

"How do we know that it's not a product of your imaginations? Some 'bots can rationalize anything." Thrust challenged.

Stormvolt was very glad that they elected not to tell Thrust who she truly was. Her part of the story had picked up with coming out of stasis and carefully skirting the issues of having been on Earth and trivialities that weren't crucial to the matter at hand. Eventually they might have to tell him, but she suspected doing so now would only bolster his feelings of opposition.

Though Ravage never spoke as far as anyone outside the telepath's cadre knew, it did not mean that he didn't comprehend things as well as the others. It also meant he took offense as well as anyone. The mechanoid cat growled and sprang into their midst, slowly walking toward Thrust. How dare he suggest Soundwave was faulty?! This would not be tolerated.

"Call him off! I will not hesitate to defend myself." Thrust said, backing up and taking aim.

_**Isn't this going swimmingly?**_

What do we do? We've told them what we know and they don't believe it.

_**I will handle it.**_

How?

_**How do you think? And it would go easier if you didn't try to fight me.**_

Fight you? This didn't sound so good.

_**We must show them irrefutable proof.**_

You aren't going to hurt them are you?

_**Not more than is necessary.**_

Great.

_**Don't argue. We have to stop this before it gets out of hand and before the others return to this location. My diversion didn't last as long as I had hoped it would. They are already back on Chaar.**_

Their going to Earth was your doing?

_**Yes, now stop asking questions. Time is short.**_

Alright. What do I need to do?

_**Relax. This will not cause you any pain, that is, unless you resist.**_

She tried to do as instructed but it wasn't easy. In the end Megatron wasn't lying. It didn't hurt but neither was it pleasant. Her vision began to darken and equilibrium was failing. The others immediately stopped arguing when she dropped hard to one knee and steadied herself by placing her hands on the ground and leaning forward.

"Are you okay?" Rumble asked, starting toward her.

"Stay back," she said, raising one hand but not looking at him. "I… think you're about to get all the convincing you need."

"What kind of…" Thrust began to ask but was cut off.

"SILENCE!"

The others quickly moved away. Rumble had seen this before but now it was different. Previously there had been slight touches of the femme's personality and mannerisms but now they were gone. The command was issued in a gravelly roar that promised much suffering for the disobedient.

Stormvolt slowly rose. Her optics blazed brightly and she began to advance on the other seeker.

"So you doubt my presence, Thrust? Obviously I have overestimated your intelligence."

"Megatron? Is that really you?"

"Of course it's me, you fool!"

It was impossible. The flier was stalking toward him, and apparently intent on murder. Oh how he knew that expression, but not from her. It was one thing he had not forgotten. And the voice! It was all incomprehensible. "But how?" It was all he managed to get out.

"RAAAAAGGGHHHHHH!" Megatron/Stormvolt snarled and then delivered a punch to the seeker that knocked him to the ground with a loud crash. He/she stood over him, poised to strike again. "How? How is not your concern, Thrust. What you WILL concern yourself with is loyalty to me and serving my purpose. Is that clear or must I continue to provide you with further verification?"

"No, no, I believe you!" It was true. He hardly believed what he was seeing but he didn't need to be convinced any more.

"And what about you two?" He/she asked, wheeling on Rumble and Frenzy who had backed away and now stood together beside Soundwave. Ravage had moved to the telepath's other side and partially behind his left leg. Laserbeak, Buzzsaw and Ratbat had fled to crowd themselves onto the mech's shoulders and hopefully relative safety.

"You ain't gotta worry about us, boss," Frenzy said, baffled by the strange turn of events.

"Yeah. Whatever you say goes," Rumble agreed. Was she possessed? If Starscream had a ghost, why not Megatron? No, that couldn't be right because Megatron was Galvatron and he was alive. Whatever it was, he wasn't going to fight it. He would simply have to trust Soundwave's judgment, the way he should have before this incident.

"You would all be wise to remember that in the future," he/she rasped and then paused to give them one last glare before returning control to the chassis's true owner. The femme staggered sideways but didn't fall. She shook her head and then surveyed the others hesitantly. Soundwave and company appeared to be fine, albeit shocked, and Thrust was sitting on the ground staring at her warily and sporting a dent in his chest plate.

"Shit, did I…did _he_ do that?" she asked, approaching the other seeker, and feeling guilty when he flinched back from her extended hand. "Come on Thrust, it's only me."

He eyed her with unease before reluctantly allowing her to give him a hand up. Best not to make her angry because there was no telling where that would lead.

"Are you all right?"

"Yes."

"Do you want me to fix that?"

"No, it's fine. Don't concern yourself," he said taking a step away.

"I'm sorry. I didn't know that was going to happen. You know I don't have any ill will toward you."

That was almost certainly true, he thought as he recalled her prior repairs after his run in with Vortex. Prior to now she had been perfectly agreeable.

"Don't worry about it," he said, meaning it this time. As added assurance he leaned close enough to grip her forearm for a moment.

"He didn't do anything to you guys did he?" She asked directing the question to the entire group of cassettes.

"No," Rumble said.

"Does that happen a lot?" Frenzy asked, his curiosity starting to overpower his worry now that the danger was past.

"That's the only time I've known it was coming and the only time he's done it when it wasn't necessary to the situation. But then, he must have thought proving it to you was necessary."

"What does he do when he's not talking to you or doing _that_?"

"Beats me. But you guys have to remember that no one outside of this room knows about any of it and we have to make sure it stays that way for now."

"Don't worry about us," Rumble said.

"I won't tell," Thrust said. "But I still don't understand how we're supposed to help Megatron. We don't know where he actually is. Do any of you know how he's doing this? I mean, isn't he supposed to be reformatted to Galvatron?"

"Yeah, that's what I was thinkin'," Frenzy said.

"I have no idea. The reformatting part is true, he told me that himself and he knows things that only Megatron knew. Honestly I'm not completely convinced that he was ever really Galvatron in his own mind until he had that plasma accident." Stormvolt said.

"What accident?" Thrust asked.

"You didn't say nothin' about any accident," Rumble added.

"Will you cut me a break please? It's hard to keep track of who's told me what and what I've told others and what's not supposed to be repeated to anyone. Damn!"

"Calm yourself. This could be important," said Soundwave.

"I know. So this is what happened," she began.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx 

That miserable, backstabbing traitor! Cyclonus was seething. One expected this from the others but not _Scourge_ of all mechs.

xxx

Two Stunticons had managed to get their hands on the Autobots' Matrix and then acted correctly by presenting it to Galvatron. Their esteemed leader made an attempt to use it but instead released the spirits of ancient Autobots. The spirits or their energy or whatever they were, demanded the return of the Matrix. Galvatron agreed and then, when the spirits were gone, ordered Scourge to destroy it. Instead the tracker had somehow tapped into its energy and used it to attack and then assume command. His appearance was ghastly. He was lumpy and misshapen. Areas of his body looked partially melted. Obviously the Matrix had poisoned him, but the ultimate decision to disobey orders was strictly his own doing.

xxx

The second in command still felt a bit off from having been shot by Scourge and then punched by Galvatron upon telling him what had happened after the both of them came on line again after the attack, but he would recover on the way back to Earth to apprehend the disobedient liar. That is, if there was anything left to apprehend.

"I WILL NOT REST UNTIL THE MATRIX AND SCOURGE HAVE BEEN DESTROYED!" Galvatron raved.

"Mighty Galvatron should we summon the remaining Decepticons to assist us?"

"Ha! I need no help to bring down that pathetic wretch. Quickly. We will take the Vengeance and catch him that much sooner."

"As you command." As they flew toward the waiting ship Cyclonus decided that it would be for the best if the others knew what had transpired. It was possible that Scourge might escape them temporarily and return to Chaar.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx 

"Whoa! He's messed up worse than we thought, huh?" Frenzy said.

"Don't forget that none of you know anything about this either okay?" Stormvolt said.

"What are we supposed to do about it?" Thrust asked.

"I wish I knew."

They all stood there waiting on an idea to materialize when every communicator activated.

"Attention all Decepticons currently on Chaar." It was Cyclonus and he sounded pissed, almost to the point of it being difficult for him to speak. "If Scourge is spotted he is to be shot on sight. Do not allow him to escape."

The 'bots glanced at one another surprised and confused. Scourge? Had they heard that right? All optics, except those belonging to Thrust, turned toward the femme. She was the one who was tight with Cyclonus, so she should be the one to verify the information.

"This is Stormvolt. Did I hear you correctly? We're supposed to shoot _Scourge_?"

"Yes. He has turned traitor and attacked Galvatron and myself. We are currently in pursuit. We are taking the Vengeance to Earth and will destroy or capture him, whichever Galvatron decides."

"Acknowledged." Holy crap! She wanted to ask more but knew the mech wasn't in the mood for a lot of Q and A.

It was a surprising development but it did not distract Soundwave for long. Either Scourge would be eliminated or he would not. It didn't have any real bearing on their current problems. It was highly unlikely that this attack against Galvatron was a part of what Motormaster and Vortex were preparing for. They had nothing but contempt for their leader's minions and it was obvious that they were not yet ready.

As the others discussed what may have possibly possessed the leader of the Sweeps to do such a foolish thing, the telepath mulled over all the new information. They had confirmation that reformatting definitely took place and Megatron was now Galvatron and he was fully aware of it. Soundwave himself had seen firsthand what the mech was like before his disappearance following the final battle with Unicron. He had known about Thrull and the plasma but not the specifics of the damage being to the meta circuits within his mind, which accounted for his outrageous behavior. It all came down to processors. Galvatron's were severely damaged and Megatron contacted others through theirs. Meanwhile everyone else with few exceptions seemed to be having mental issues of their own. The femme was as normal as one could expect for someone who used to be human and had some incarnation of another transformer in her head. An unusual possibility suddenly occurred to him. In her head! He didn't know how it could work but he had to check.

"Stormvolt?"

"Yes?"

"I have an idea regarding Megatron's contact and control abilities."

"What is it?"

"You must allow me to examine your cranial chamber."

The femme was suddenly uneasy. He wanted mess with what equaled her brain?

"Why do ya wanna do that?" Frenzy asked with interest.

"There is a chance that the key to these instances lies within your processors. Given your origins, there may be an anomaly in its construction that facilitates Megatron's contact or the impression of it."

"What do you mean, her _origins_? Why would her processors be any different from anyone else's?" Thrust asked.

"Haven't you had enough weird for one day?" She asked.

"Yes, but why stop now?" He wasn't going to let the matter drop.

"Fine. If Soundwave finds anything, I'll tell you all about it."

"Fair enough."

The telepath moved toward her.

"Oh no. I'll let you look, but we're going to do it my way," she said. "You guys stay over here. Soundwave, we'll go over there."

"What? Ya don't trust us?" Rumble asked.

"Put yourself in my place. Would you want a whole crowd of Decepticons poking around in your processor clusters?"

"Not when you put it that way."

"Thank you."

Soundwave picked up a light and waited to see what she wanted him to do. He had no intentions of doing her any harm. If she had a means of restoring Megatron he would be more cooperative than anyone, but he was aware that she found his demeanor rather disquieting. That was how he preferred it. When a 'bot was preoccupied with trivialities such as that it made it easier to get a sense of their thoughts. Another tip that made him think he was on the right path. He had never been able to get a clear read on her. In the old days, he was unable to read Megatron at all.

"I'm going to sit here and if you don't mind, I'd like you to go back about as far as that pointed rock sticking out of the wall there. Your optics zoom, right?"

"Affirmative."

"Okay."

The mech went to his designated spot. "I am in position."

"Hang on." She saw the others who were watching expectantly, and scans pinpointed where Soundwave was. If anyone made a move she'd be gone before they got close.

_**You're becoming relatively paranoid aren't you?**_

So? Can you blame me?

_**I like it.**_

Stormvolt hadn't tried this before but presumed it worked in the same fashion as the rest of her systems. And it did. She thought about what she wanted to happen and then heard a series of clacks and whirrs as latches released and armored panels shifted and opened outward. It made one feel vulnerable in a way that an interfacing connection did not. She was exposing parts and systems that, if tampered with incorrectly, could kill her or turn her into another Galvatron.

Soundwave aimed the light and zoomed his optics in to a high setting. The configuration was unusual but still comprised of standard Cybertronian processors. He recognized most of the parts. Interesting. She had a series of expansion ports, which allowed for more memory if desired in the future. To the right of that was something else. He adjusted the angle of his light and zoomed in closer.

"You're awfully quiet back there, even for you," Stormvolt said, wanting it to be over.

The mech was quiet but it wasn't his fault. He was temporarily stunned into silence by what he saw.


	35. Same Old Song and Dance

Author's note: Thank you for reading and commenting and favorite-ing. Transformers belongs to Hasbro and Takara, not me.

A Blessing and A Curse  
By: Quetzal1

Chapter 34  
Same Old Song and Dance

xxxxxx

It was perhaps the most repulsive thing Soundwave had ever witnessed. It looked like a core processor. He supposed part of it _was_ a core processor of a sort, but the rest of it was another matter entirely. It wasn't free standing like most. This one was affixed to the interior of the femme's cranial chamber as if it grew outward from the metal there. The majority of its housing was normal but at one end there was a shiny metal cube that resembled a spark containment chamber except tiny. That didn't trouble him. It couldn't be a spark because those were much larger. So large that one wouldn't fit inside anyone's head even if there were nothing else there. He suspected it must be a variety of independent power supply, which allowed it to operate separately from the femme's other systems.

This wasn't the part that he found disturbing. That was reserved for the bundles of…well, he thought they were wires at first but after closer examination he realized he was mistaken. For one thing they were transparent and occasionally a tiny beam of light shot through various strands, causing the entire cluster of them to twitch. These were not fiber optic cables either. They were too big. The bundles sprouted from openings in the odd processor's casing in groups, twisted together and woven in a fashion that reminded him of muscle fibers in organics. They spread out and wound through the cranial chamber. Here and there, individual filaments separated from the group and were attached to various parts and points of the normal processors and control circuits. A particularly large bunch of them was connected to her communication controls, logic circuits, core processor and many sub-processors. That had to be the way it interacted with her and others.

As a telepath and communication expert, Soundwave had a thorough understanding of these parts and systems. But even with this knowledge, he wasn't positive about what it was. As best as Soundwave could ascertain, what he was observing was a copy of Megatron's core processor with anomalies. Until Stormvolt got back to Chaar, it mostly knew what she knew with the minor exception here and there. Once near to Galvatron, it must have discovered a way to access his mental faculties that remained undamaged. In essence that meant there were two processors sharing the remainder of Megatron's mind. The Galvatron version was connected directly and was more dominant. The copy carried by the femme gained access somehow through her communication array. How it had managed to have a life of its own was beyond Soundwave's understanding, and he wasn't embarrassed to admit it. It was all very convoluted and baffling but that was characteristic of their leader, either version.

"What's going on?" Stormvolt asked.

"I have observed several irregularities and…" he went silent again when a group of the filaments detached themselves and squirmed into a new configuration. The mech didn't recoil but nevertheless found the mere idea of having _that _in one's head, running amok, revolting. On the other hand, it didn't seem to be doing any harm to the seeker. She functioned normally except when the additional part exerted its influence.

"And? You're starting to make me nervous," she said.

"I have prepared a recording to show you the information," Soundwave replied. He had seen enough and it would be easier to present the information this way than it would be to try to explain it himself. He approached her and removed the chip from a reader beneath the cassette compartment. As he drew nearer the sections of armor on her head slid back into place with fast, fluid motions. "Review this. It will answer your questions."

The femme took the chip and inserted it into a slot mounted beneath a section of armor on the inside of her forearm. She said nothing for a few seconds but he knew when she got to the segment of video that captured the movement of the filaments. Her expression showed more than a bit of disgust.

"_That's_ the cause of everything?" She asked in disbelief. The images only raised more questions instead of answering them.

"Affirmative."

"What did ya see?" Rumble asked as he and the others joined them.

"Here, have a look," Stormvolt said, ejecting the chip and flipping the armored panel back down over her arm before passing it to him. She didn't care to watch it again.

"What was that box the wires or whatever those were came out of? I noticed the one like it on the other side didn't have those or that extra little silver box on the end."

"Those are core processors. The more ordinary one is yours. The other, I think, is Megatron. Or rather a copy of his processor… with marked modifications."

"How? How could that possibly be?"

"Unknown. Your method of creation is the first of its kind. If I were to presume I would suspect a possible mutation as the cause."

"That doesn't make me feel any better." On top of everything else she was a mutant now, too? Hoo-fucking-ray. "What do core processors do, aside from being the primary control component?" In the old days, she wasn't permitted access to anyone's cranial chamber, not that she blamed them then, and certainly not now.

"It is also where the meta circuitry is located."

"Meta circuits, which is what's fried in Galvatron's mind... So what I have is a spare part?"

"In essence, yes."

"Whoa!" Rumble said to Frenzy, upon viewing the images. "You ain't gonna believe it."

"Well quit hoggin' it and let me see."

"All right, hang on. Here." The small mech handed the chip to his twin and then stared up at the femme with interest. "Hey, can you feel that? You know, when it's creepin' around and…"

"No. Of course now that I know what's in there, I'll be _thinking_ I feel it. Ick."

"I do not understand any of this," Thrust said. "And I don't know if I want to." To the seeker, it sounded as though Megatron didn't exist as an actual separate, physical being after all, but instead was a shared malfunction between two completely different 'bots. Nonetheless, he had seen strange occurrences work in the Decepticons' favor before, but this had to be the strangest by far.

"How do you think I feel?" Stormvolt grumbled. "And why didn't he tell us where he was instead of making us figure it out?"

"Okay, so say we put the weird processor into Galvatron. What would happen then?" Rumble asked. "Would that fix him?"

"Insufficient data. Probability uncertain." Soundwave wasn't entirely surprised the cassette had thought of it as he himself had wondered the same thing almost immediately. The telepath didn't want to get anyone's hopes up yet, however, that didn't prevent his own spirits from being buoyed a tiny bit. He shouldn't feel that way, but it was difficult to suppress. There was much they didn't know. Before they considered taking any specific action, he would need to bring another into their circle.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

It was the worst beating Vortex had ever witnessed. In fact, he wouldn't have called it anything so mundane as a mere beating, he would have described it more as a mauling. The other Decepticons had seen Galvatron, with the assistance of Cyclonus, haul the injured tracker back to the _Vengeance. _They retreated but then were summoned to the ship to witness the punishment. Their leader was without mercy as he thrashed and pummeled Scourge. The unfortunate mech was dented and scraped. Parts of his armor were torn completely off and he was leaking all manner of mechanical fluids, too damaged to even plead for his life. Or perhaps he knew it would be futile and didn't bother.

Vortex was unsympathetic but also uneasy. If the hidden cache of weapons was discovered and the reason behind them revealed, without question he would suffer a far worse fate. There wasn't much chance of that, at least, there shouldn't be. However, the way Motormaster was behaving, as if they already had success within their grasp, might arouse curiosity. Success wasn't theirs yet, but they were slowly and constantly edging closer to it. The Combaticon hadn't wasted the opportunity to speak with Blast Off and now he had another mech on their side, or more specifically _his_ side. He would wait until they were back on Chaar before having a friendly chat with Swindle, taking Brawl along in case extra persuasion was needed. Once the four of them were united, they would force Onslaught to cooperate if it became necessary. Once Galvatron and his closest lackeys were eliminated, Motormaster would be the next to go. With him gone, Menasor was also eliminated which would leave the Stunticons with no choice but to relinquish leadership. There also remained the matter of the Constructicons/Devastator and the Predacons/Predaking but he suspected that they would remain loyal to Galvatron. With the Predacons it was almost a certainty. Still, in the fight that would unquestionably ensue when the plan was executed, all they needed to do was eliminate one member of each group and then they would be unable to combine.

That left only Trypticon, Astrotrain, Shockwave, Soundwave and his minions, Thrust and Stormvolt. Trypticon was too stupid to be that concerned with and he consumed too much energon. Unless there was a constant supply, he was perpetually in a low fuel state. If he came into the fray they would simply have to outlast his energon reserves. Astrotrain was no mental giant either, but he'd actually had the struts to oppose Megatron so he likely wouldn't be that difficult to win to their side. The others could go either way. The hard part was finding out where their loyalties lie before the initial strike. The fact that they'd been left behind on this mission suggested that Galvatron did not hold them in high esteem. Thus far discovering their motivations wasn't going too well. Deadend hadn't found out much at all. It figured. Maybe he needed to take action of his own in that regard. Vortex surveyed the room. All of the others were watching avidly with the exception of one. Back a short distance from the crowd and in the shadows, Cyclonus stood leaning against the wall, arms crossed and staring directly at him. The interrogator didn't fear the other mech but he quickly glanced away and pretended to be more engrossed in what was going on. Why was that slagger watching him? Did he suspect something?

xxx

It was peculiar to Cyclonus that the Combaticon appeared uninterested in the gruesome spectacle taking place before them. He had been behaving strangely for a while now. The others were watching in near silence but with grim fascination. Vortex, however was surveying the room as if taking the measure of everyone present. Why? His reverie was disturbed by the crash and screech of metal on metal when Galvatron heaved the wounded Scourge up above his head and threw him into the wall only a few feet from where Cyclonus stood. The incensed dictator followed, stomping over to grab the wounded mech by one twisted leg and fling him back out onto the middle of the floor amongst the crowd.

"There! Take a good look! Let this be a warning to anyone else who dares to oppose my will," Galvatron said, pointing at them all with a sweep of one arm. "Now get out of my sight!"

Galvatron stood over his victim as if deciding whether or not he wanted to continue the punishment. Cyclonus joined him standing back and off to the side to avoid a potential strike. The tyrant swung back one leg and solidly kicked Scourge, rolling him over onto his back, and then crouched down.

"He continues to function for now. Have Stormvolt attempt repairs and assist her if she so requests," he said, standing and then brushing past his adjunct as he headed for the exit. He paused at the doorway to smirk and make one last remark that puzzled Cyclonus. "It will be just like old times for you, won't it?"

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Okay, so we're agreed. Soundwave, you'll talk to Shockwave and see what he thinks we can do with the, uh, spare parts. The rest of us will go on like nothing's changed, but we'll watch the others," Stormvolt said.

The rest of the group nodded assent.

"A tracking device should be placed on the remaining weapons in Vortex's possession. There is every possibility he may relocate the cache to discourage its discovery," Soundwave said.

"I'll go," said Thrust. "Give me the coordinates and I'll take care of it before the others get back."

"Are you feeling up to it? Did your navigation problems go away?" Stormvolt asked.

The red seeker paused. "On my way here, I didn't think so, but right now I feel much more focused than I did then. More clearheaded."

Soundwave passed him the device. "Advise immediately if you have difficulties."

"Acknowledged." Thrust turned to leave then stopped and looked at the femme. "There's one more thing: you were going to tell me what it was that would make your processors different and allow for all of this."

"I will, but not now. You have to get those trackers on before Vortex gets back," Stormvolt said.

"Agreed."

"I'll come find you later if I don't get roped into something else. You probably ought to get back to patrolling when you're finished with that so you don't get into trouble." She wasn't lying to him, but at the moment, she was tired of explaining and didn't feel like going into her past, which would only raise about a zillion more questions. And they really didn't have the time.

The mech nodded and then left. No, he definitely did not want to draw any attention whatsoever to himself, not with what they were apparently working toward.

They were all on the same page now. Stormvolt thought it felt great to be purged of secrets. Well, with these guys anyway. But…if it turned out that the processor she was carrying would indeed repair Galvatron or revert him back to Megatron, there was no way that they could do the job on their own.

"Soundwave, you know that if it turns out we can fix Galvatron, we're going to need more help," said Stormvolt.

"Geez, there's nine of us already," Frenzy said.

"Ten if you count Shockwave," Rumble added.

"Yeah. How many of us do ya think it'll take?"

"At least eleven. Come on guys. Galvatron isn't going to sit down and agree to let us swap out a couple of parts. I'm not sure of everything that's involved with a fix like this, but he'd have to be put into stasis at the least. There's no way in hell that he'll cooperate willingly. We'd have to trick him and we would be in a lot of trouble if we got caught in the act."

"Aw, Primus, you wanna tell Cyclonus don't ya?" Rumble asked.

"What if you tell him and he flips out? Huh? He'd kill us all sayin' it was treason or somethin'," Frenzy complained, waving his hands around in frustration.

"Negative," Soundwave said. "He has tried by himself to remedy the situation and without as large a possibility of success." The mech had been surprised to learn of the prior attempt to correct Galvatron's damage. He would not have suspected the second in command was capable of the deception, given his unwavering devotion to their leader. But this knowledge combined with what he knew about the second in command's feelings toward the seeker alleviated most of his concern.

"What, the Torkulon thing? That's not the same,"

"You're right. What we might be sitting on is way better," said the seeker. "But I won't tell him until we get Shockwave's opinion."

"I still don't…"

Once again, the activation of everyone's communicator interrupted. "Attention Decepticons presently on Chaar… Scourge has been apprehended. The alert is cancelled." Cyclonus sounded far calmer than he had previously.

"Apprehended? Ya think that's his way of sayin' 'blown to pieces'?" Rumble mused.

The message continued. "Stormvolt, report to the _Vengeance_ immediately. That is all."

"I am departing now," she replied to Cyclonus and then addressed her comrades as she walked toward the exit ramp. "If that's any clue I bet he's not dead, probably close though. Be sure to let me know what Shockwave says as soon as you find out."

xxx

Scourge was clinging to life by the thinnest of margins. It had taken hours upon hours of work and at least twice during the process Stormvolt had thought the mech was finished. She'd never seen anyone in such a state who continued functioning. It was even worse than Thundercracker that one time, and she wondered if Galvatron had done it all on his own. She hated to admit it, but perhaps Frenzy was right to be worried.

Cyclonus had proven most valuable in assisting her with the repairs but he didn't seem to give a damn one way or the other if their patient survived. This was not a conclusion drawn from his actions. Not at all. He had gone about the task with his usual focus and exacting standards. What gave him away was his response to sympathy expressed by the femme.

xxx

"Poor Scourge," she said. This guy couldn't catch a break. First Quintessons, now this. His condition also underscored how lucky she was to have escaped such a pounding before.

Cyclonus made a noise of disgust. "He is undeserving of anyone's compassion. Galvatron was correct in punishing this traitor. If he survives he should be grateful our leader chose to be merciful."

She viewed the wounded tracker. This was merciful? Her gaze flicked over to the other mech. His reply sounded as if he was angry with her for sympathizing. He wasn't looking at her though. His optics were on Scourge and his expression wasn't only mad and appalled. There was something more there. Before she was able to determine what it was he turned away and began to busy himself with putting away the larger tools that were no longer needed.

xxx

At last the internal repairs were complete and all that remained was to restore the outer armor and reinstall it. The femme gathered the pieces she had removed and placed them with the others that Galvatron had knocked off, which were already waiting on a nearby workbench.

"You should take a break. He will not require that armor for a while," Cyclonus said.

"Yeah, I could stand to give this a rest for a few minutes."

"Come. There is an observation deck nearby."

"I don't think we should get too far away. I need to be able to hear any of the monitor alarms if they go off."

"It isn't far. Your audio sensors will easily register any alarm."

"Lead on, then," she said. She was prepared to continue working for many more hours but the idea of a break was appealing and it offered an opportunity to see more of the ship. Thus far she'd seen nothing but the repair bay and the corridor leading to it from the all that had happened lately, maybe it was Cyclonus who needed the temporary escape. She didn't have all the minute details regarding his latest activities but knew it involved two trips to Earth and more than one battle. Add to that assisting her with Scourge, and he was probably close to needing a recharge. He led her to a room that was only a couple of doors down from the repair bay.

The observation deck was much like the other areas of she ship that she'd been in so far: nothing fancy, but instead, austere and extremely functional. There were monitors and control panels at the back of the room no doubt connected to the main bridge and possibly the weapons systems. It was an excellent place to watch for incoming attackers and visually check the ship for damage in the event of sensor failure. However, if one were there merely to rest, it was a peaceful location. The oval shaped room had an expansive view of open space above and around the top half of the _Vengeance_. It would have been nice to gaze out into the stars like there were no problems, but she suspected Cyclonus had other reasons for wanting to come here. Upon entering the room, he went over to a chair near the control panel and spun it around so that it was facing out into the room before sitting heavily. When he was about halfway down she noticed a wince and he placed a hand on his side. It was just like when he helped the drunken Sweep get up after sampling the new energon.

"Do you want me to take a look at that?" Stormvolt asked, pointing at his side.

"No. I am fine," he said, scrubbing a hand wearily over his faceplate before leaning forward, elbows on knees and staring at the floor.

"You don't act fine."

"Observant as always."

She left one of the enormous view ports and took a seat at an adjacent panel. "Are you going to tell me, or do I have to drag it out of you?"

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The implications were staggering, Shockwave thought. Based on Soundwave's information and from what he could determine by examining the short video segment on the chip, there was a cause for hope the mech hadn't dared to dream of. He couldn't help but to also feel a small sting of jealousy. Why did Megatron contact the others but not the most devoted of his soldiers? It didn't matter. The seeker might very well be carrying the means with which to restore their leader. The fact that it was a femme who held the key didn't please him either, but considering who she used to be, he didn't think she would be of any serious interest to their leader once he had returned. No, and with Starscream gone it would be possible for Shockwave to finally take a place he had long coveted at the right hand of their grand and glorious ruler…and perhaps another that was even closer.

Soundwave knew what kinds of ideas were racing through the other mech's processors. He had counted on it. The way Shockwave felt towards Megatron hadn't been any secret and now it was proving the motivating force behind getting him on their side. Not only that, but he was the foremost authority on their leader's systems. Soundwave had seen firsthand the information the mech had amassed on Megatron and had kept as a collection of peculiar mementos. He would be instrumental in making the processor transplant if it could be done at all.

"What is your assessment?" Soundwave asked. There would be time enough for Shockwave to fantasize later. Now they had work to do.

"I _think_ a transfer is possible. I will need to see the processor in person before I can say with absolute certainty."

"I will contact Stormvolt and advise." He had already told Shockwave that all the information given him was to be kept secret. There was no need to remind him of this. It wouldn't matter now who tried to extract the information because there was zero chance of Shockwave doing anything that would jeopardize the operation. It was truly amazing the way emotions worked in one's favor sometimes.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"What bothers me isn't so much that the attempt to overthrow Galvatron was made, although it is inexcusable, but that it was Scourge who made it. He is supposed to be a loyal, trusted officer. I expected much more from him," Cyclonus said. Now Stormvolt recognized the expression from earlier. It was frustration tinged with disappointment.

"What's going to happen to him once he's recovered?"

"That is not for me to decide. Perhaps he will be punished further."

"What if he's not?"

"If Galvatron allows him to continue as he has, then that is how it shall be…" The mech appeared to be on the verge of saying more but then didn't.

"But?" Stormvolt asked.

"I will be unable to trust him or rely upon him," Cyclonus replied, dispirited.

"I thought it was this Matrix that made him do it, though?"

"It is true that it somehow poisoned him, yes. However, the initial decision to disobey orders to destroy it was solely his responsibility."

She didn't want to sound too tolerant of Scourge's actions, but she understood why he did who'd wound up on Galvatron's bad side could. That is anyone except Cyclonus. Stormvolt felt bad for him. Being in his position was a bitch. Poor guy probably felt like the weight of the world was upon him.

As she sat there trying to think of what to say, her communicator activated. It had remained on the internal setting after she used it to warn Thrust of the others' return to Chaar when she saw them on her way to the warship.

_What's up Soundwave?_ She transmitted.

_Shockwave requests closer inspection of the object but presently feels a successful transfer is highly probable._

The news gave her a brief few seconds of excitement but that was wiped away by what needed to happen next. _Okay. You know what I'm going to do now. Tell Shockwave I'll be back as soon as I can, but I don't know how long that'll be._

_Acknowledged. Soundwave out._

She didn't expect him to wish her luck. It didn't seem like a concept he would believe in. Evidently he wasn't worried about the outcome. It must be nice. Cyclonus was leaned back in his chair, staring off into the distance. What would be the best way to spring this on him?

"Do you think that Scourge would have tried it if Galvatron was himself?" She asked.

"I think many things would be different if Galvatron were himself. But he is not. Sometimes… I fear he may never be again." Cyclonus had not admitted this to anyone before, including himself.

"What would you say if I told you there was another option to try that might be the solution to his problems?"

The seeker watched as the mech went from tired and resigned to alert and very interested. The sudden shift in demeanor was kind of unnerving and she wondered again how much involvement he had in Scourge's current condition. What would he do to her if he didn't like what she had to say? Despite the slightly menacing reaction, his reply was tinged with indulgence.

Cyclonus had gone over this issue again and again. Stormvolt was highly intelligent, but he expected her proposed solution to be something he had already thought of and rejected…but one could never be certain. "I'd say 'I'm listening.'"


	36. Information Overload

Author's note: Transformers belongs to Hasbro and Takara, not me. Enjoy.

A Blessing and A Curse  
By: Quetzal1

Chapter 35  
Information Overload

xxxxxx

Stormvolt was beginning to feel that perhaps Rumble and Frenzy were right and getting Cyclonus involved wasn't such a bright idea. But there wasn't any way around it. They wouldn't be able to just snatch Galvatron and fix him up like a broken bicycle. They would need all the help they could get. And what if they tried it anyway and got caught? That'd get very ugly very fast. The way his crimson optics glinted at her as she told him about the voice and what it had been doing made her doubt much of what she was so sure of when she had left the mine. It also caused her to omit the parts about the voice controlling Galvatron. She didn't want him thinking it was any more a threat than he likely did already.

He watched her a long time but thankfully hadn't made any sort of move, remaining leaned back in his chair, arms crossed. He was making her extremely uncomfortable. Finally he favored her with one of the rarest of his expressions, a smile, (albeit a scary one) and leaned forward.

"This changes _everything_," he said, still smiling, but the way he spoke made it sound like a threat.

"Yeah, it certainly does," said Stormvolt, cautiously. Shit, what did he mean by that?

"If we are able to successfully restore Galvatron, then _he _will quickly restore the glory of the Decepticons." Cyclonus rose from his chair and began to pace back and forth excitedly as he spoke. "Under his leadership we will rise up and destroy our enemies and take our rightful place as undisputed rulers of Cybertron and then the universe!"

Okaaaay. Evidently she wasn't in any immediate trouble. Stormvolt had never seen him like this and frankly it was a bit disconcerting. He continued to pace and act inordinately happy. Had he chosen to disregard the part about it being _Megatron's_ processor she was carrying around?

"Why do you not seem more pleased?" Cyclonus asked, honestly puzzled. During a low moment he had once told himself that the answer to all their problems wasn't going to simply fall out of the sky. But it had. She held the key to Galvatron's resurrection. He had been right about her from the beginning and the knowledge only served to make the second in command more enamored.

"I'm pleased. But I'm also more what you'd call cautiously optimistic," she said.

"For someone who is about to have one of the greatest honors a Decepticon could hope for in their lifetime, I would expect a different reaction."

What a fanatic. But he was _her_ fanatic. "Yes, well, I've learned not to get my hopes up until I have all the information."

That wasn't an unreasonable mindset. "I see your point. There _are_ many unknowns," he said drawing closer to her and calming himself. "I understand your reservations concerning any success, but why didn't you tell me about this sooner?"

"A lot of reasons. The biggest being that I thought maybe it was some kind of malfunction, that I was going crazy. Remember, I didn't know what it was until a few minutes before you called me. And I still don't know why it's in there."

"It is most curious. No doubt it is tied in with your kinship to Galvatron in some fashion."

"Hard to say. Soundwave thinks it could be a mutation. Maybe the nanites started to recreate Megatron at first and then had a change of plan. It doesn't really matter now."

"Regardless, if you had told me, perhaps we would have discovered the cause before now."

"To be honest, I was also worried about how you'd respond."

"In what way?"

"You can react…strongly and be sort of unpredictable where Galvatron's concerned. Like when I thought you had feelings for him and suggested you could do better. Right away you assumed I was talking about eliminating him."

"That is true, however, I know you far better than I did. You have proven yourself loyal and are showing every sign of being worthy of the position of officer," Cyclonus said.

Oh boy she knew that look. He was getting himself worked up in an altogether different way now.

"I'm glad you think so… but…."

"What?"

"It's not only the part about you thinking I had something treasonous in mind. What I meant was the processor I have is his personality from before, when he was Megatron."

Cyclonus stared at her, not understanding at first and then suddenly grasping the implications.

"If we replace the damaged parts he may internally revert to his prior identity?" He said.

"We don't know. But see, that's the question. He was alive when he was changed. He has his old memories, you've seen that for yourself. Wouldn't that make him still Megatron, technically? All that you've told me about his behavior prior to the accident supports it. Like the way he went after Unicron. The mech I knew wouldn't have allowed anyone to push him around, even if they were the size of a planet. He would have waited for the perfect opportunity and then struck when it presented itself, which is exactly what he did. He was a crafty fucker and that didn't change."

"A crafty _what_?"

"Huh? Oh, sorry. That's an Earth expression."

"I see," Cyclonus said with distaste. Whenever she was ill at ease she reverted to the vestiges of her human speech patterns. He continued, resuming the original direction of the discussion. "I do not agree with your assessment. Unicron created Galvatron and made him far more powerful than he had ever been before. He is totally different."

The femme was already shaking her head in the negative. "No way. You've heard Galvatron talk about the old days. He always says 'I' like it's him. He doesn't differentiate."

"Be that as it may, _I_ have heard him refer to his past incarnation as a separate entity."

"Does it count if the reformatting happened against his will? I bet that given the choice he would not have readily agreed to be made into someone else. But I don't see how there's any way to know for certain in this case. I mean, it's not like we can ask him about it," said Stormvolt.

"Indeed," Cyclonus said, but he didn't entirely believe it to be true. They could continue this argument for hours but it was counterproductive. "We should resume our repairs of Scourge."

"Yes. Getting the rest of his armor straightened out will take a while."

The mech turned and began walking toward the door, his mind on the new possibilities before them, in addition to the idea of learning Galvatron's true feelings on the matter of his reformatting.

"Cyclonus?"

"Yes?"

"Would you come with me when we're done here? Shockwave has to look at the processor and I'd feel better if there was somebody there to watch him," she said. It was true. Despite his feelings for Megatron, she didn't like him. And it would give the others a chance to see that Cyclonus was on their side in this, so far, which might set minds at ease and make it all go more smoothly.

"Why? Do you not trust him?"

"This will sound dumb, but the truth is he gives me the creeps."

"I trust you haven't openly shown any fear of him," the mech said, with disapproval.

"Ha! No, I have not. And I wouldn't call it fear, either. It's just that…would you want him messing around in _your_ cranial chamber?"

"I would not." The idea was rather disturbing when one considered it, not that he would really want _anyone_ 'messing with' it as she put it. "I will accompany you. How long do you anticipate this taking?"

"I don't know. Do you have to be somewhere?"

"No, but I think it would be wise to reorganize the guard posts and the mine. I want to separate the Stunticons and Combaticons."

"Why?"

"I have been observing Motormaster and Vortex and both are behaving strangely. Their attitudes, Motormaster's anyway, suggest smugness. It is as though he knows something that is to his advantage and possibly my detriment. Vortex has been showing an unusual interest in Motormaster, but in his case he appears to be annoyed. Why that should be I cannot say unless, conceivably, he fears that Motormaster's conduct will inadvertently reveal whatever one or both of them is hiding."

"You're right. About them having something to hide, I mean."

Cyclonus stopped and turned to regard her, his readiness to finish their job and be away temporarily forgotten. Stormvolt didn't wait on him to ask for further clarification.

"We found out today that they're stockpiling weapons. Given what is common knowledge about most Decepticons I've met, I'd guess it's in preparation for another takeover bid," she said.

"Were you going to advise me of this anytime soon?"

"Yes. Right after we finished with Shockwave. I presumed you'd have questions about it and Soundwave will be there too and he can answer them better than me."

The mech seemed to accept this answer. "Those traitorous wretches." For a several seconds he was furious and then he made an effort to settle himself. Calm. He must remain calm. The timing couldn't be worse. He should be used to that. Nothing ever came easy for them. But…with Galvatron back to normal…. "Let us finish with Scourge and get on with more important matters."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

With relief Thrust spotted his target. He felt fine when he started out toward the coordinates Soundwave had given him, but by the time he was getting close, he was beginning to get that vague feeling he was missing the mark and it worried him. His instrumentation was behaving properly but he still felt he was off course.

He transformed and silently dove feet-first toward the ground, staring at the enormous cannon and reflecting on how he would hate to be on the wrong end when it was fired. Placement of the tracking device wouldn't take long and then he could get out of here before anyone saw him. According to Soundwave's information, there was quite a haul of weapons and energon, now nothing remained except the cannon, which appeared to be covered in a layer of dust. The area was remarkably neat for all the recent activity. It was probably his imagination, what with all the peculiar events he had witnessed earlier. As he dropped, what looked amiss suddenly hit him and the seeker halted his descent before disturbing the scene. The soft, dusty ground was totally devoid of any tracks or other marks. Vortex must have cleared away any sign of his having been there. If anyone else found the weapon before he moved it, it would be easier for him to claim to have no knowledge of it. Also, it would tell him if anyone had been snooping around. On the other hand, his alt mode would create the same effect, intended or not. Whatever, he wasn't going to chance it.

Thrust carefully lowered himself until he hovered beside the weapon, thereby avoiding disturbing the dusty coating. It was easy to find a spot to affix the tracking device. How long would it be before they tried to use it? Insurrection among the Decepticons wasn't anything new. If he had a couple energon cubes for each instance that someone attempted to wrest leadership away from Megatron, he could leave and live comfortably for ages and not have to worry about any of it. This time however, it felt different. It did not appear to be yet another poorly concocted scheme that came about at the spur of the moment. No. This was being carried out with care and planning and the cooperation between two radically different teams furthered the seeker's unease as he considered it. If the plan were allowed to come to fruition, it would be an all out civil war. Fortunately, it seemed to be a long way from happening. Judging from what he had seen and what had happened to him, it was clear that he would be on the opposing side. But what if the others were able to repair Galvatron? And it felt like too much to hope for, but what if they somehow reverted him to Megatron? What then? Undoubtedly the plotters would be made to suffer. Slag, it wasn't like the object in Stormvolt's cranial chamber didn't already know about it. On the other hand, what if they managed to make the attempt and nothing came from it? For now that was a concern he would keep to himself. It simply wouldn't due for anyone to know he had harbored reservations if and when Galvatron was fixed. Life was definitely easier when his biggest concern was his own ailments.

As he was about to launch himself back into the air and transform, he heard it: the low, heavy thump of rotor blades announcing the approach of Vortex. Thrust froze. If he took off now, he would surely be spotted. He glanced about. He would have to hide and hope to Primus that no one scanned or came looking around. The view was blocked from an open, dusty plain by one of the countless rocky formations that ran parallel to the weapon before curving around. With luck if he went down to the curved end and around out of sight he would be okay. The mech engaged the fans that provided motion when used with antigravity and moved to his hiding place. At the end of the formation the soil was comprised of dust and gravel and he would leave no trail. Thrust landed and immediately spotted a niche into which he could wedge himself and hopefully avoid detection. The rotor noise was steadily increasing. As he hurriedly squeezed into the space, he was so bent on self -preservation, that at first he didn't notice the faint glow in one corner of his hiding place. A large crystal of what had to be more Ranazite was poking up out of the ground. Interesting. It wasn't embedded in stone like what he'd seen in the mine. He had only a second or two to dwell on it before noise made by Vortex commanded his full attention. Suddenly it stopped, indicating transformation.

Thrust preferred the noise. At least that way he knew where that flying malfunction was. He waited, adjusting his audio sensors to maximum levels in an attempt to hear any indications of approach. At first it was silent then the last thing he expected boomed out.

"Hey why don't you take it easy? You know I can't fly as fast as you," Brawl complained. There was a loud clank as he landed heavily. Thrust flinched. Not only because it was loud but also because this was a mech who wouldn't think twice about putting more hurt on him. Then another thought occurred to him, this one far more consoling. They may have hurt him before, but now he was aware of them and they wouldn't be able to ambush him like a couple of cowards. In fact if he had to run, neither of them would be able to catch him. Certainly not Brawl, and despite having an aircraft alt mode, Vortex couldn't come close either. Thrust was a seeker after all, and in the air they had no equal. He relaxed slightly and listened carefully to the conversation.

"You weren't joking. This is a nice piece of hardware," Brawl said, appreciatively.

"And there's going to be more where this came from," said Vortex.

"Galvatron and the rest won't know what hit them. KA-BOOM!" He couldn't see him, but it was easy for Thrust to imagine the big Combaticon standing at the controls of the cannon, pretending to fire it like a human child with a new toy.

"Oh yes. We'll blast them to shrapnel," Vortex agreed.

"When?"

"It's not been decided, but I think we'll need to make a move soon. That glitch Cyclonus has been watching me awfully hard lately, like he knows something."

"You think so?"

"I don't see how except for the way that idiot Motormaster has been strutting around. Maybe that's making him suspicious."

"Ha, Stunticons! Do you really think we need them?"

"In the long run, of course not, but for now, yes."

Brawl made a noise of disgust.

"We've been over this. You know the drill. As soon as Galvatron and his lackeys are out of the way, we'll take care of Motormaster. Without him, the rest of them won't be a problem, " Vortex said impatiently. "Now come on. We have to get this out of here and then we'll go find Swindle and the three of us will go pay Onslaught a little visit."

Thrust was suddenly glad he wasn't Onslaught. So, they truly weren't ready to act yet. However, Vortex was going to try to speed things up. Soundwave and the others definitely needed to know about this. That and the fact that evidently there were yet more deposits of Ranazite. Was the whole interior of the planet made of it? The glow of the element was strangely comforting as he listened to the sounds of the two Combaticons struggling with their illicit cargo. He hoped they wouldn't be long.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The long wait was intolerable as far as Frenzy was concerned. He knew when Soundwave had contacted Stormvolt with the information regarding the possibility of a transplant. He also knew that upon receiving the information, she would tell Cyclonus what was going on. That was the part that made him nervous. She may think she knew him, but Frenzy wasn't convinced. The slagger was not only creepy and weird, he was also smart, about that much the femme had been right. He was smart enough that when she told them about everything, he might keep himself under control and pretend to go along with it until he got them together in one place where he could execute them all as traitors.

"What's takin' so long?" Rumble said, giving voice to his twin's thoughts.

"I dunno. Scourge was probably busted up pretty bad. In fact, I'd guarantee it, if he survived at all." Frenzy replied quietly. Shockwave was nearby, continuing his assigned tasks as he waited and the small mech didn't want him eavesdropping regardless that the topic of discussion was something he was aware of.

"We don't even know if that's why Cyclonus called her."

"True." Why else would he summon her? Actually, when he recalled the discussion they'd had as to what possible appeal the mech held for her in addition to knowing that Cyclonus was interested…. Blech! Best not to consider that in any depth. He shifted uncomfortably and shook as if to remove the idea physically "I'm just hopin' all of this goes okay."

"Yeah, it'd be great ta have the boss back, or at the least have Galvatron not crazy."

"That ain't what I meant."

"What then?"

"I'm hopin' Cyclonus doesn't blast us all to the Pit. I don't trust that guy."

"I hear ya," Rumble said, and then considered. "But what if he doesn't?"

"Good for us?"

"Yeah, but what I meant was, if he doesn't then it could be that Stormvolt was right about him."

"So?"

"So maybe we oughta quit givin' her such a hard time."

Frenzy hated to give up on any idea he considered a good one and he did like the notion of the femme with Soundwave but his twin had a point. "Maybe. Let's worry about survivin' today first before we decide for sure."

Not far from the pair, Soundwave was listening. He felt mildly relieved. It had occurred to him that the cassettes' determination and outright stubbornness on their project could lead to problems for him later but he'd been hesitant to make them stop. It was much easier for him when they had a specific assignment to keep them busy and out of trouble. Engine noise made him focus his attention on the doorway, and shortly after it stopped, he and the others were joined by Stormvolt and Cyclonus.

"Hey guys," Stormvolt said, raising a hand in greeting.

Rumble and Frenzy returned the greeting by raising their hands in unison, but said nothing and the larger mechs were carefully observing Cyclonus.

"Let us dispense with the pleasantries," said Cyclonus, not caring about the uncomfortable silence and getting straight to the point. "I want to see this possible answer to our problems."

"As do I," said Shockwave. He did not trust anyone associated with Galvatron, but it did appear that the second in command was at least willing to at least entertain the idea of repairing their leader instead of creating yet another large obstacle. "Sit here and open your cranial chamber," he said dispassionately to the femme while gesturing toward a crate positioned in the middle of the floor.

She knew it was coming but Stormvolt didn't care for this scene at all. Shockwave was creepy and a haughty jerk. What if he freaked out and stabbed her in the head or whatever because he didn't want Galvatron repaired if he couldn't be like his old self? What if he did something else that made _her_ crazy or mindless like a drone?

_**I am reasonably certain you have nothing to fear.**_

That doesn't make me feel much better.

_**How you feel is immaterial to the situation.**_ _**You must go through with it. Also, it would be much easier for you to do this voluntarily than it would if I had to force you.**_

Always with the threats. You're positive Shockwave won't do anything out of line?

_**And jeopardize any chance of my return? Not a chance.**_

Still not feeling very comfortable with the situation, she moved over to the crate and sat. Seconds later, the inner workings of her mind were exposed.

Shockwave had gathered the tools that he required for the examination and copies of schematics showing the processors Megatron had been equipped with. He selected a blunt pick and began to advance on the subject. Before he was close enough to make any observations, he was surprised to find himself on the business end of an oxidizing laser.

Standing opposite Cyclonus, Rumble and Frenzy weren't surprised and quickly dove out of the line of fire they were sure was coming. They both tucked and rolled upon landing and quickly sprang to their feet, standing slightly bent forward to aim the blasters on their backs. Neither of them fired as Soundwave had instructed them beforehand not to except upon his explicit command.

Soundwave had anticipated the possibility of something like this happening. The cannon mounted on his shoulder was aimed and ready to fire at Cyclonus but the fact that the focus was on Shockwave, and the twins hadn't been spared more than a glance, made him pause. Cyclonus wouldn't be dumb enough to single out one of them and be exposed to fire from the rest if he meant to destroy _all _of them .

"What is the meaning of this?" Shockwave demanded.

"Keep in mind that if you attempt any action that is out of line I shall be obliged to terminate you," Cyclonus said, conversationally as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

"How dare you!" Shockwave began and then it dawned on him. This moron was worried about more than simply the processor. Yes, he was worried about the femme. It would explain why he kept her nearby so much of the time. Well, well. He couldn't think of two rejects more suited for one another. "Don't worry. I have no intention of inflicting any damage upon your dear seeker."

"You would be wise to address me with more respect."

"And if I don't?"

"Guys?" Stormvolt interrupted and then pointed toward her head. "I have been told to advise you both to, and I quote: 'Cease your ridiculous posturing and get back to the matter at hand.' "

The two mechs stood there eyeing one another for a bit longer before Shockwave began to advance again.

xxxxxxxxxx

Megatron was right, naturally. Shockwave had studied the processor with rapt fascination and made not a single gesture that could have been interpreted as threatening. This however did not stop Cyclonus from standing over them for the duration, waiting for the slightest hint of impropriety. Comparisons were made between the processor and all the information Shockwave had brought along. He went back to the workbench and began to put away all the various diagrams and schematics.

"I have seen enough," he said.

Stormvolt immediately closed and sealed the chamber, relieved to have it over. It did not escape her notice that Cyclonus visibly relaxed when she had eliminated the vulnerability.

"Conclusions?" Soundwave asked.

Shockwave turned to face them. "Naturally I have to examine Galvatron's processors, but based upon what I have seen thus far, I feel it will work." There was no mistaking the pleasure in his voice.

"How are we gonna do _that_?" Rumble asked.

"What?" said Frenzy.

"I don't know about you, but I don't wanna be the one ta ask Galvatron ta let us take a peek at his internals." He saw Cyclonus scowling at him (as usual) and added a conciliatory "No offense."

"None of you will act until I have had the opportunity to speak with Galvatron." Cyclonus said.

"Fine by me," Rumble muttered.

"What are you going to do?" Stormvolt asked.

"First I am going to make certain that this scheme is in our leader's best interests as well as our own," Cyclonus said. He walked to a large pile of energon cubes and selected three. "Shockwave, these are new, correct?"

"Yes."

"While I am gone, the rest of you will prepare and distribute the rations. They should be a mixture of the old supplies and the new and contain only one third of the new energon.

"Soundwave, when I return I would like a word with you."

"Acknowledged" Soundwave replied.

"Stormvolt, you will assist with the preparation but that is all. When you have finished, go to these coordinates and wait."

"Alright," she replied. The location he transmitted was unfamiliar, lying somewhere near the ragged headquarters. So what else was new?


	37. Yes, No, Maybe

Author's note: A fulgurite is a tube that is sometimes created when lightning hits sand and fuses it into glass. The inside of it is smooth and the outside is rough. Thanks for reading and commenting and favorite-ing. I appreciate it. Transformers belongs to Hasbro and Takara, not me. Enjoy.

A Blessing and A Curse  
By: Quetzal1

Chapter 36  
Yes, No, Maybe

The mine headquarters wasn't far from his destination and Cyclonus chose to make the trip in robot mode. He flew over the ruined landscape, adjusting his speed downward to a low level in order to get a few additional minutes to consider what he was about to do.

_I should be used to this by now_, he thought. And yet whenever he was on his way to see Galvatron there was the same mixture of anticipation and unease, expectation and dread within his circuits. On this particular visit it was worse than usual. Despite that, he did not lose the sense of pride he felt in his master. Galvatron was a mighty leader, of that there was no question. He would certainly be even more formidable if they were able to cure him. Cyclonus had felt a great deal of guilt over the episode on Torkulon, but it hadn't been a complete disaster. From it they knew what Galvatron's damage was which enabled them to recognize a possible cure when it presented itself. While the possibilities were stunning to consider, it didn't alleviate all of the mech's worries or answer many of his questions.

The additional processor Stormvolt carried operated as Megatron, which was Galvatron's old incarnation. As was the case with himself, Scourge and the Sweeps, Unicron had reformatted Galvatron. Without the Matrix of Leadership there hadn't been any way to oppose the planet-sized monster. Was it possible that Galvatron would not have wanted to be reformatted? It was true that he was more powerful this way, but then again, he wasn't a pushover as he used to be. In fact, under Megatron's leadership, the Decepticons were very successful right up until the battle that resulted in his being wounded and then abandoned in space. And that hadn't been a complete failure as it had resulted in the death of Optimus Prime. If not for the treachery of Starscream, Megatron may have lived and then crushed the remaining Autobots. However, that didn't answer the question of stopping Unicron when he made himself known later. Cyclonus unconsciously shook his head. Dwelling on the unknowable outcomes of events that never happened would not help any of them now.

The ramshackle headquarters slowly came into view over the horizon. Cyclonus began his descent and landed gently near the building but far enough out so that no one inside would hear him. It was a disgraceful place for the greatest of them to have to call home. Though it was invisible from this vantage point, a huge hole remained in the ceiling. The Constructicons began repairs at one point but one thing or another kept them from progressing and Galvatron didn't seem to care. As the burned out planet continued to rotate, it brought Cybertron into view regularly and it was visible through the opening now. Cyclonus wondered if having this view blocked would reduce the intensity or frequency of Galvatron's outbursts. Again, another unknowable answer, and what did it matter if they were successful? But he was getting ahead of himself again. Before allowing any manner of attempt he first needed more information. He inspected the brightly glowing energon cubes he had brought along. His arrival would not arouse any suspicions since either he or Scourge appeared daily with fuel for Galvatron. What could raise questions was the vastly improved quality of it. Cyclonus was prepared with an appropriate cover story although he didn't like to lie. Cybertron glittered in the sky. Hopefully his master was occupied with something and not concentrating on past failures and working himself into a rage.

* * *

The great hall was deathly silent, which was the way Galvatron liked it. He wondered briefly where the others were. Even Cyclonus wasn't hanging around as much as he used to. Was he plotting against him? Unlikely. He was loyal to a fault, the fool. And he feared and respected him, as well he should. But if the others were half that loyal it wouldn't be enough. Curse this entire state of existence! If only…. His contemplation was interrupted by footsteps echoing off the intact wall and ceiling behind him. He turned and glared over his shoulder. A familiar shape was headed toward him.

"Cyclonus, what is the meaning of this interruption?" Galvatron said, rising from his chair and walking over at an accelerated rate to meet the other mech halfway across the room.

"I have brought energon for you, mighty Galvatron." What was he interrupting? The Decepticon leader had been sitting on the ragged throne at the center of the room. He had turned it and was doing exactly what Cyclonus had hoped he wasn't, which was staring at Cybertron and get agitated.

"Well give it here," Galvatron said, crossly. Already he saw that this wasn't the usual allotment of fuel. Instead of the dim, cloudy trash normally provided, this energon was bright and translucent. He held a cube up to one of the dim lights that rung the large room and then drank half of it in a few huge gulps.

"This is excellent," Galvatron said and then scowled at Cyclonus suspiciously. "Where did you get it?"

"We obtained it from a freighter that had wandered off course. Unfortunately that was the only item of value aboard."

"I see." Cyclonus watched as Galvatron finished the first cube. "It certainly has more of a jolt that the usual garbage you bring me."

Galvatron tossed the empty cube away and eagerly snatched another one from the outstretched hand of his second in command before turning and walking back toward his throne. Cyclonus didn't fail to note that halfway back, the tyrant had to make a minor correction in his balance. The plan was beginning to work. He waited briefly and then followed, feeling a bit guilty but reminding himself it had to be done for the good of Galvatron and the Decepticon cause. Perhaps he should have brought more than just the three cubes.

* * *

Mixing energon wasn't a difficult job, but it rapidly became tedious. Shockwave, Soundwave and the other cassettes had all left to begin delivery of rations while Rumble and Frenzy stayed behind to continue production. Because they were down to the last batch, they had recently sent Stormvolt on her way too.

There was such an obvious difference in the new fuel compared to the old. Rumble wondered what would happen if they ran out of the weak stuff. The old refinery was very slow and prone to breakdowns, which often led to raids against cargo vessels in space. Would they keep stealing? The risk would be greater than the reward. In his opinion it would be better to go ahead and let them all get good and over energized and get it over with. After that they'd have a little resistance and if they didn't get too much it ought to be fine. But he wasn't calling the shots. Cyclonus needed to loosen up.

"That's the last of it," Frenzy said, stacking the final cube.

"Now what?" Rumble asked.

"I dunno. Wait for Soundwave ta get back?"

I guess. Somebody will find another job for us soon enough anyway. Might as well take it easy while we can."

"Yeah. We'll need all the energy we can get when it comes time ta make a move on Galvatron."

"Don't remind me."

"I know. I can't imagine it either."

"I mean, how can we possibly get him and not get slagged in the process?" Rumble mused.

"Beats me. What I worry about is not gettin' him, but what'll happen to us later if it don't work. You know he'll be all kinds of torqued about it afterwards," Frenzy said.

"Right. I didn't think about that."

"So what we need is way ta do what we gotta do without none of us takin' a beatin' and then someone ta blame it on if it don't work."

"Good luck with that."

"No kiddin'. And besides, _we_ can't do nothin' till Cyclonus does whatever it is _he's_ gonna do and says one way or the other."

"I still don't know if we shoulda let him in on it, but he took it better than I expected."

"Man, I was waitin' for him ta take Shockwave's head off," Frenzy said with a snicker.

"I know. Too bad he ain't got a faceplate. I woulda loved ta have seen the look on it."

The duo sat there in silence for several minutes.

"This is boring." Frenzy complained.

"Too true, but there's nothin' ta do out here besides work."

Silence descended again until Frenzy's natural curiosity gave him an idea.

"What's in all those crates?"

"Junk mostly. Parts for the refinery that we didn't need or ones that were busted," Rumble replied.

"Nothin' good?"

"I don't think so."

"I'm gonna check it out anyway. It's better than sittin' around."

* * *

The ranting continued for a long period. During all of it, Cyclonus waited for the opportunity to broach the subject he wanted to discuss. Oddly enough Galvatron wasn't becoming particularly violent, at least not yet. For that, Cyclonus was grateful. He searched his memory banks and couldn't come up with a single instance during which his leader stayed relatively calm for so long. He was concerned that Galvatron would get to an over energized state and then slip offline but that thus far it had proven a groundless fear. Instead he was slouched down on his throne and leaning to one side, staring out toward Cybertron and expounding at length about what was wrong with the Decepticon army and why, despite their issues, they should have the planet. Cyclonus was about to consider this plan a failure and give up for the day. In his processor he was fabricating a reason why he needed to go in case he was asked for one when he requested permission to depart. That was when he finally caught a break.

"And despite the failings and weaknesses of you and the others, there is the main reason for our predicament!" Galvatron leapt out of his seat and pointed skyward, swaying back and forth. Apparently the energon was affecting him more than he'd indicated.

Cyclonus stepped back out of habit, expecting to be hit, and looked to where Galvatron was pointing. It was Cybertron. That was nothing new, but then he zoomed in his optics and saw that the head of Unicron had completed another orbit of the planet and was also visible. Now was his chance.

"Unicron is responsible?"

"_Everyone _is responsible," Galvatron snarled. "But Unicron more than most."

This was new. Cyclonus couldn't recall much of the blame being placed on the destroyed planet eater before. Himself, Scourge, (whom Galvatron hadn't asked about, despite how close to deactivation he'd been) Starscream, the Autobots and the other Decepticons, took the bulk of the responsibility at varying intervals, but never Unicron.

"How so mighty Galvatron?"

"How so? _How so?_ Are you serious? Cyclonus, now and then I think you're even more impaired than your behavior implies," Galvatron said, turning awkwardly to face his lieutenant. It took a while, but the energon was definitely affecting him. Fortunately, or possibly unfortunately, depending on one's point of view, rather than making him physically violent, it only provoked his mentally cruel side.

"But being a carcass at the time, you would not have seen what transpired and are only aware of the end results."

"I would be most grateful if you would enlighten me," Cyclonus said, bowing slightly. He was extremely close to finding out what he needed to know he would do almost anything to make it happen.

It didn't take all that long to relate the events especially when Galvatron saw fit to leave out crucial details such as who Cyclonus and the others used to be. As usual, the despot was concerned only with himself.

"But don't make the mistake of thinking I couldn't have destroyed him had I not been in such a compromised state," Galvatron warned.

"No. Of course not," Cyclonus replied. Inwardly he was disappointed. The entire discussion had yet to yield any useful information. And as much as it pained him to do it, he doubted the veracity of Galvatron's claims. He was more powerful now than he was before and still hadn't been able to do any damage to Unicron without the Matrix.

"Oh no, if I had been at full strength I would have blasted him to dust at our first meeting. But instead

I was forced into his service." The mech was beginning to pace in his standard agitated fashion. "And as if that wasn't bad enough, I wind up trapped inside this ridiculous shell," he raved, banging a fist against his chest plate and then turning to shake the same fist at the dark sky.

Ah! This was the chance Cyclonus had been waiting for. But he needed to be careful. Galvatron had begun to revert to his usual violent demeanor.

"But…you are more powerful this way. Are you saying you would have preferred to remain in your old form?" Cyclonus asked. Contradictions were nothing unusual where their leader was concerned. Before Galvatron had only spoken disparagingly of his old identity but now he expressed nostalgia for it.

Galvatron spun and advanced on him. "Of all the moronic questions! If he'd wanted to, Unicron could have repaired my wounds and added power and left me as I was, but he didn't do that. No, he had to remake me into an image he desired as if to show he owned me. But no one owns Galvatron!" He said, drawing close to Cyclonus and then suddenly speaking in a deadly quiet voice.

"So what do _you_ think?"

Was it a rhetorical question? Cyclonus couldn't tell and remained silent.

"I'm waiting."

No, it wasn't, and whatever answer he gave would likely be wrong but he had to reply.

"I… think you would have preferred to remain as you were," said Cyclonus.

"RAAAAAHH!" Galvatron snarled and then delivered the punch Cyclonus was expecting. The larger mech blocked the hit with one arm but the force was enough to make him fall backward off the raised platform and slide to a stop. He looked up soon enough to see his master leap into the air, landing on top of him. He prepared for the beating to continue by immediately trying to get into a more defensive position. It was extremely difficult with the many tons of Galvatron's weight mashing him into the floor. At best he would be able to protect his head from more strikes. But it was unnecessary.

"Imagine that," Galvatron said, reverting back to the soft voice while leaning forward. "But then, even a broken chronometer is right twice in a cycle." He sat back and then continued angrily. "Yes, I would like to be as I was, idiot."

Cyclonus watched him closely, but kept quiet.

"Do you have any more questions?"

"No, I do not." Any further queries might prove suicidal.

"Good. Now go bring some more of that energon and then get out of my sight," Galvatron ordered, getting to his feet and turning away to stare out the broken roof again.

* * *

Broken parts and scraps were piled all over one side of the room. Soundwave wasn't entirely surprised to return to the mine headquarters and find it a shambles. Shockwave, however, would be agitated when he returned.

"Hey Soundwave," Rumble said, when he noticed the mech's presence.

"Your purpose for this?" Soundwave asked.

"Aw, we got bored and decided to see what was in here," Frenzy said, popping up from the interior of a large crate.

"You will return it all to its previous state?" It wasn't really a question and the twins both knew it.

"Don't worry. Nobody will be able ta tell we touched it," Rumble said.

Soundwave nodded and turned to inspect the remaining energon cubes. Good. He wasn't in the mood to endure a lot of complaining from Shockwave. And speaking of Shockwave, did his sudden appearance and interaction with the others raise any sort of suspicion? He would have to ask when he got the chance. Before he could consider it further, his thoughts were interrupted by engine noise. Someone was approaching fast and with purpose. Soundwave let his telepathic ability drift outward and quickly knew it was Thrust. He had been gone for a long time considering that his task wasn't that difficult. Was he unable to find his target? Would there still be opportunity to recall Laserbeak or Buzzsaw and have them do it?

Thrust strode into the room without what had become his normal hesitance.

"Status report," Soundwave said.

"I found the place and got a tracker planted. Here's the rest," Thrust said, handing the remaining devices back to Soundwave. "There was only one huge cannon. They must have hidden the rest of it already."

"Did you encounter difficulty?"

The seeker smirked. "Yes, you could call it that. I was nearly discovered by Vortex and Brawl."

Soundwave noticed the contempt present in his comrade's voice when he spoke the others' names.

"How did you avoid detection?" He asked, thinking Thrust must have quickly fled.

"I found an opening in a rock face and I concealed myself there."

Interesting. The telepath was reasonably sure that Thrust would have chosen the word "hid" and expressed relief at not being discovered. The seeker's whole demeanor was different than it was in the mine earlier.

"You are certain they were unaware of your presence?"

"Yes. Neither of them had the smarts to look around, and so what if they _had_ found me? That rust bucket Brawl couldn't catch me on my worst cycle nor could that loser Vortex.

'Rustbucket?' 'Loser?' What had gotten into the flier? He was acting a lot like his old braggart self and it didn't make any sense.

"But none of that is important. I heard the dolts discussing their plans and Vortex suspects that Cyclonus may be onto them so he wants to move faster with whatever they're plotting."

That wasn't good. "Anything else?"

"Not really. Oh, wait, I did hear Vortex say they needed to locate Swindle and then go see Onslaught, but he said it like they were going to do something bad to Onslaught. Perhaps he doesn't wish to be a part of the scheme. But that is nothing next to what is planned for Motormaster.

"Which is?"

"Vortex intends to eliminate him once they've successfully taken control of the Decepticons."

Typical. It was all useful information but Soundwave couldn't get past this remarkable change in Thrust.

"Were there any unusual occurrences?"

"No." Why would Soundwave ask a question like that? "Listen, I'd better get back to patrolling the perimeter before Cyclonus catches me. I'm not interested in having that slagger on my case."

Hmmm. Also typical of the Thrust of old. He knew when another 'bot was stronger but he would hide it with disdain or braggadocio. "Affirmative. But be advised that Cyclonus is aware of everything."

"He is? And he didn't malfunction and kill you all for treason? Amazing," Thrust replied, and then headed for the door. "There was one more thing," he said, stopping suddenly.

Soundwave merely stared at him. What now? He watched as the mech opened a compartment and produced a large, pure Ranazite crystal.

"I found this out where the weapons were. It was growing out of the ground and I presumed you would want to see it because it is different," he said, and then tossed it to Soundwave.

The telepath caught the glowing object and examined it. Remarkable. The hexagonal crystal was the single largest piece of the element he'd ever seen that wasn't embedded in stone.

"I'm out of here," Thrust said.

"Wait," Soundwave said. Not even Rumble and Frenzy, who had stopped their rummaging to watch the exchange could tell that their team leader was excited. He walked to a nearby bench and carefully sawed the crystal in half. He tossed a chunk of it back to Thrust who caught it and then merely looked at him curiously.

"Carry this with you at all times and then locate me in two cycles," he said.

"Why?" Thrust asked.

"An experiment to test if exposure of Ranazite this pure outside of its area of origin results in deterioration," Soundwave lied.

Thrust shrugged. It wasn't any strain on him to carry it around. He stored it back in a compartment on his shoulder and went out the door. His audio sensors couldn't detect the sound but his radar alerted him to the approach of another flier. Probably Cyclonus. It was time to disappear or at least act busy.

Soundwave hid the other piece of Ranazite in a compartment of his own. If he was right it could be the answer to many of their issues. For now he would keep this possible revelation to himself. It wasn't like there weren't far larger priorities ahead of it.

As Thrust had done only minutes ago, Cyclonus entered the room at a fast walk. He surveyed the room.

"What happened in here? It - " he began to say, before catching sight of Rumble and Frenzy in a crate up to their shoulders. "Never mind."

"Greetin's Cyclonus," Frenzy said.

The mech glanced back at them. "Greetings," he said, and immediately turned his attention back to Soundwave.

"Way to kiss that aftside," Rumble muttered.

Frenzy gave him a shove. "Shut up. I only did it to see what would happen. I think we're growin' on him."

"Do we want to?"

"It couldn't hurt."

"Have the rations been distributed?" Cyclonus asked.

"14 additional cubes are required at the mine. I will deliver them momentarily," Soundwave replied.

"It can wait," Cyclonus said, raising a hand. "I wish to speak with you about the possible insurgency that is being contrived. Tell me what you know and leave nothing out."

"Affirmative. But first, what is your decision regarding Galvatron?" If they achieved the intended goal, the insurgency would become a minor problem.

Cyclonus paused, his conversation with their leader flashing through his memory. He hoped what he was about to set in motion wasn't a grave error.

"We will proceed," he said.

* * *

The display at the periphery of her vision indicated that she was at the correct coordinates. Stormvolt hovered high above the ground and didn't immediately see the objective. The crumbling headquarters building was near and she had zero intention of getting any closer than she had to be. She glanced around before checking directly beneath her. That had to be it.

Gradually she lowered herself until she was even with the top of a tall structure. From above it blended well with the natural protrusions of rock that sprang from the ground. All the entrances and windows on the lower floors had been sealed with mismatched pieces of stone and armor plating. It wasn't until one was close to the top of the structure that an opening was visible. The femme drifted closer, scanning for anything that was a possible threat before entering the doorway. She touched down lightly and began to take it all in.

In human terms the space would be considered a loft. It was all open but there were distinct areas demarcated. It was very neat and orderly and austere. The inner walls were lined with more armor plating except that they were all of the same color and variety of metal. The welds joining the plates were ground down smooth. Someone had put a lot of effort into this. She walked around a bit more and discovered an incomplete grid map of Chaar burned into the surface of the wall. A work in progress. There was another that was a star map showing Chaar, Cybertron and other nearby planets and stars. Who would…. Ah, this must be where Cyclonus called home. The realization made her regard the space with a new perspective. Stormvolt didn't know if it was what she expected or not as she'd never really considered the idea of him coming home after a hard day and relaxing. He didn't talk much about himself.

There wasn't a lot as far as furnishings. In the center of the room was a big, low table. Against a wall were a couple of benches that were made with much more attention to detail than the one she had. In a far corner a wall protruded separating a smaller space from the main area. Behind it was what she presumed to be a recharge platform. It was huge but didn't look particularly comfortable. She was about to turn back when an object that seemed out of place caught her optic.

There was a niche carved in the wall where it stuck out into the room. In the niche rested a pale orange object that resembled a long, twisted stick. She recognized it immediately as a fulgurite she had created on planet no-name one day as an experiment just to see if she could. It was an unusual color but she attributed it to the alien sand. And at some point, serious, scary, no nonsense Cyclonus had retrieved it. He must like her even more than she thought to do something like that. Or maybe he simply liked _it_. All Decepticons expressed a certain disgust for sentimentality after all, but that didn't mean they were unable to appreciate beauty or in the case of the fulgurite, items of interest. Samurai warriors, when they weren't lopping off the heads of enemies, pursued activities like painting and arranging flowers and writing poems. But then they were human. And it was such a fragile object. He must have been extraordinarily gentle in unearthing it and transporting it back here. Maybe it wasn't as difficult for him as one might think, she mused, remembering the way he had caressed her wings. Oh, he could have a light touch when he wanted to.

_**I am going to be ill.**_

_You're a processor, you can't get sick._

_**You understand my meaning nonetheless. **_

_Yes I do. What brings you out?_

_**Now is a good opportunity to discuss the future. **_

_What about it? _

_**I am slightly concerned about how you will conduct yourself when I am not available to provide guidance.**_

_Now who's being sentimental?_

_**It is **_**not**_** sentimentality!**_ The voice snapped.

_What, then?_

_**When I am restored I shall have need of loyal officers.**_

_Me?_

_**Oh yes. I have plans for you and that is merely the beginning.**_

_I don't know as I care for the sound of that too much._ It was the truth. Not for the idea of being an officer, she presumed that was pretty much a given as long as she didn't screw up too bad. What bothered her was the sly, knowing tone the voice used.

_**It is immaterial. **_

_Always._

_**My point is, you will need to act with more caution and be continually on your alert. I will not always be around to tell you what to do.**_

_Where have I heard that before? Wait, what do you mean always? Once you're back in your old body, won't you be unable to get in my head? _And for that matter, who said she needed his guidance?

The voice chuckled. _**It may be different from before, but I will still be able to contact you.**_

Crap! _How, if you're not physically in there?_

_**You and I have a special connection. A kind of bond, if you will.**_

She _really_ didn't like that idea. _Oh?_

_**Yes. One day I'll tell you all about it. That, and the other goals I have in mind.**_

_But this isn't the day, naturally?_

_**Correct. Your focus should be on upcoming events that will make a suitable future possible.**_

_And you want me to watch out because you won't be able to do it for me?_

_**Yes. In fact, it could be some time before you hear from me. I will have much to contend with in getting Galvatron under my control and then destroying him.**_

_I bet. And for the record, I think I've been managing fine lately._

_**There is always room for improvement. **_

She heard engine noise and instantly recognized it as Cyclonus but he wasn't headed that way. Not yet.

_**Remember what I said. Do not panic if I do not contact you right away.**_

_I will. Remember what you said that is, not panic._

_**See that you do.**_

Stormvolt walked over to one of the benches and sat down to wait. She didn't want Cyclonus to think she was snooping. It wasn't a long wait at all. Sensors indicated when he approached the tower and she watched as he flew in and landed gracefully. Even after all the years living amongst the Decepticons and then becoming one herself, she continued to occasionally marvel at how smoothly and elegantly they operated.

"How did it-," she began, before spotting an anomaly. " Is that a new scrape?"

"Yes," Cyclonus replied, offering no further explanation and appearing mildly annoyed at her query.

"From? No, wait. It was Galvatron, right?"

"Correct. However it is minor damage and nothing to be concerned with."

He clearly did not want to discuss it, that much was obvious. Better to change the subject.

"Have you decided what we're going to do?"

"Yes. We will proceed, though I am not sure how."

"Me either. Did you tell the others? Maybe one of them will come up with something."

"Soundwave has been advised."

"And you heard about the rest of it from him? I mean with Vortex and those guys?"

"Affirmative. They are filthy mutineers, unfit to call themselves Decepticons." His voice slipped into the dangerous tone she had become so familiar with. "If circumstances permitted I would deal with them myself right now." His posture became aggressive and then suddenly relaxed and resigned.

"What _are_ you going to do about them?"

"For now, nothing. Ratbat will be dispatched to observe them. Ultimately, what punishment they deserve is Galvatron's decision, but it would be better to wait until we have repaired him before we advise him of the situation."

"If we get Galvatron feeling like himself, I don't think they'll be a problem for long." Stormvolt said, attempting to calm him.

"Perhaps not, but they are planning to accelerate their efforts. As to what degree is unknown." Cyclonus said, as he walked to the bench and sat tiredly next to the femme.

"What? Since when?"

"Recently, it would seem. They fear that I merely _suspect_ them of treachery. They have no inkling of the real truth."

They sat together in silence, each of them contemplating all that had recently transpired.

Finally Stormvolt asked, "You don't have any ideas as to how we should go about this? At all?"

"No. And I do not expect to until after I've had an opportunity to recharge." It was true. He'd been going non-stop for many cycles and badly needed a rest. He rose and extended his hand to the seeker.

"Yeah, you look like you could use one" she said, allowing him to help her to a standing position. "I guess I'll get out of here and let you-," she said, and stopped when he didn't release her hand as she started for the door.

"No, you will remain here," said Cyclonus, in such a way that declared argument would be futile.

"I will?"

"You possess the means with which to restore the Decepticon Empire. Consequently, you must protect the processor and be protected yourself."

Why did everyone act like she couldn't handle herself? It was becoming annoying. She frowned at him slightly.

"These are uncertain times and risk must be minimized," Cyclonus said, sensing an argument and attempting to eliminate it before it started.

Stormvolt wasn't afraid of any Stunticon or Combaticon. But they were sneaky and could be up to more than they knew. He was right. It would be smarter to not risk it, but he didn't have to be so damn grave about every single thing.

"Oh, so it's the processor that's keeping me here. And I thought it was my charm," she said.

Cyclonus appeared to consider the matter before pulling her closer by the hand he continued to hold.

"Yes, there is also that," he said, with a hint of a smile. Recharging could wait a little longer.

* * *

"C'mon, get up," Rumble said, roughly shaking his twin.

"Alright, I heard ya," Frenzy grumbled, swatting futilely at Rumble. Someone had to remain at the mine headquarters to guard the new refinery. The pair, along with Ravage, had been assigned the task. To alleviate boredom, they continued their survey of the contents of the many crates until they were too run down to continue. Ravage then stepped in to maintain watch until they came back on line.

"We gotta get this junk put away before Shockwave comes back."

"Pffft! I ain't afraid of him."

"Me either, but we told Soundwave we'd take care of it before we left, and I'd like to get outta here."

"Fine," Frenzy said, as he slowly got to his feet.

Ravage watched as they worked in silence, cramming the many and varied scrounged objects back into crates and replacing the lids. He had no involvement in making the mess and didn't feel obligated to help clean it up. They were halfway finished when another box aroused Frenzy's curiosity. It was over in a corner and somehow they had managed to overlook it. Eh, big deal. It was probably more junk. He went back to the task before him, but kept throwing glances at the nondescript box. If it was more rubbish, why was it in a different style of crate and off by itself like that? He continued to work before inquisitiveness got the better of him.

The small mech found a prybar and approached the box. Once he got close enough he saw that it wasn't sealed. Carefully he opened the hinged lid and peered inside.

"Hey Rumble!"

"What? Hey, what are ya doin'? Ain't we got a big enough mess ta clean up?"

"Quit yer squawkin' and come here." What was it? It was far different from all the filthy and deteriorated items they had spent hours examining.

"What's the big deal?" Rumble asked, as he walked over to stand beside Frenzy.

"What is that?" He watched as Rumble peered into the container and began to smile. "Well?"

"Frenzy, ya know what ya said about gettin' Galvatron and havin' somebody else ta blame it on if it didn't work?"

"Yeah. So?"

"So I think ya just found the answer ta the problem."


	38. Coalescence

Author's note: I think I may be gaining some momentum again. Thanks for reading and commenting and favorite-ing and for the well wishes. I appreciate all of it. Transformers belongs to Hasbro and Takara, not me.

A Blessing and a Curse  
By: Quetzal1

Chapter 37  
Coalescence

Awareness returned as Stormvolt came back online. She was still about an hour away from full charge and wondered why she was awake when she discovered the answer. Beeping, which signaled an incoming message, was the culprit. Usually, there would be the noises of various systems powering up or pressurizing, but not this time. She had programmed her sensors to remain active, which kept her systems ready to go except her main processor. It was like the human expression "to sleep with one eye open." She liked to flex and move slowly upon awakening, but she feared doing so now would disturb Cyclonus. The poor guy needed his rest but his sensors would likely go off at the slightest provocation. The communicator display advised the call was from Rumble.

"Yeah?" She transmitted internally.

"Hey Stormvolt…. Uh, we're not interruptin' anything are we?" The seeker heard poorly disguised mischievousness in the mech's voice in addition to Frenzy's cackle in the background.

"If by 'anything' you mean my recharge, then yes. What's up?"

"Listen, you two need to get back out here to the refinery."

"Oh?" 'You two?' How did he know she wasn't alone? They seemed to have a gift for getting into the business of everyone else. It wouldn't have surprised her in the least to find out that Buzzsaw was dispatched to keep an additional eye on her until it was obvious his surveillance was no longer required. And they were teasing her instead of acting appalled. Had they finally accepted her relationship with Cyclonus?

"We found somethin' that will help us help our _friend_ with his little problem." Rumble said slyly, his deliberate vagueness briefly reminding the femme of the mobster movies she'd been a fan of years ago. A split second after that, the import of his words sunk in.

"You what?" She said out loud, while suddenly rising to a sitting position. Her earlier guess was correct. Cyclonus was immediately awake and on the alert. She put a hand on his chest plate as a calming gesture.

"This ain't the way ta discuss it, so I'll tell ya when ya get here. You'll wanna kick yourself for not thinkin' of it first," Rumble said, sounding exceedingly pleased with himself.

"We'll see. Be there soon as I can."

"Right." And the connection was broken.

"What is the matter?" Cyclonus asked, watching her intently.

"That was Rumble. If I understood him correctly, he and Frenzy have found something that will help us with Galvatron."

"_If_ you understood?"

"He didn't want to get specific over the communicator and said he'd tell us when we got there."

Cyclonus nodded. "That was wise of him. We should all approach this matter with a large amount of discretion." The enormity of what they were planning weighed on the mech. It was a task some would consider impossible. And others who didn't think it out of reach might prefer it fail and wouldn't hesitate to cause that outcome by any means necessary.

"What we're doing is dangerous in more ways that one, huh?" Stormvolt asked, as if reading his mind. The threat of what Galvatron would do to them if he found out what they were plotting had been foremost in her mind. However, what would the others do if they learned of it? A number of them, the Constructicons for instance, would likely be all for it. But… it was the last thing the Stunticons or Combaticons would want to happen. Especially if they knew they their own plot wasn't as secret as they thought.

"Yes, and that danger will only increase as matters progress."

"Let's go see what they found. I should check on Scourge after that," said Stormvolt, as she slid off the platform and onto the floor.

"I shall accompany you. I fear we will require his assistance."

She pushed with all her weight against the makeshift door. It began to move, but very slowly.

"How about a hand," she said. "We'll be here all day at this rate." Cyclonus was serious about her protection (as he was with everything) and had blocked the exit with a sheet of thick, heavy armor plating. It wasn't impossible for an intruder to blast their way in, but it would have taken a few attempts thereby giving ample warning and a chance to counterattack.

"Do you plan to be my second shadow until this is over?" If he intended to hang around nearby all the time, that would be okay with her. Unless it was constant over-protective hovering, but that seemed unlikely. Cyclonus was no mother hen. And this way she was still allowed out and around which was preferable to his wanting her to hide. But then hiding would lean toward the cowardly and no way would he have that.

The mech leaned over and helped her shove the plating to the side. It moved much easier under their combined force.

"What do _you_ think?" He asked.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Ratbat was especially skilled at secreting himself away, but not far enough away that he missed anything important. He had entered the chamber and slipped into a huge crack up on a high wall. From there he had an excellent view of the entire room and all that transpired within.

xxx

Onslaught was staring at the crude model of a nearby valley he had made from odds and ends. Pieces of stone were fashioned into small representations of various Decepticons, although they were so poorly rendered no one aside from their owner could tell who was who. The Combaticon leader was positive there was a good strategy for defending the valley but he was unable to come up with a single one. It was frustrating. In the recent past, concocting strategy was second nature to him but now…. Even recalling the basics was an exercise in exasperation. He was deeply absorbed in the task and hardly noticed when Vortex, Brawl and Swindle entered.

"What are you doing?" Vortex asked with a smirk as he looked over the replica valley. He knew full well what Onslaught was up to but delighted in watching him struggle and avoid the admission that he didn't know what he was doing any longer.

"I am devising a theoretical defense of the valley near here," Onslaught replied without so much as glancing up.

"Oh yeah? Sounds like fun," Brawl said sarcastically, as he picked up a few of the pieces that were carefully grouped in one position near a cluster of tall peaks.

"Don't touch those," Onslaught said, finally pulling his attention away from the model and scowling at them.

"Aw, what's wrong? You afraid he's going to break your toys?" Vortex asked, moving ever closer.

"Those aren't toys. And why are you three here? I didn't summon you."

"Right. About that…_you_ won't be summoning any of us from now on."

"What?" He noticed that Vortex was drawing nearer and, with unease, that Brawl had haphazardly tossed the pieces back onto the board and was approaching too. Swindle had said nothing and even seemed reluctant but was following the other two at a distance.

"I'm calling the shots for the Combaticons now, and you'll do what _I_ say,"

"Or else…?" Onslaught asked. He wasn't afraid of Vortex and he knew all his moves, or rather, he used to. It was more of that knowledge that had slipped away.

Vortex was still near the model valley and he stopped his advance, with the others doing likewise.

"Which one of these is you?" He asked, pointing at the figures.

"That one, fourth from the left."

Vortex picked it up and sneered before tossing it to Brawl. "Show him what'll happen if he doesn't cooperate."

Brawl placed the figure in the palm of one hand and then brought his fist down on it, smashing the tiny representation of Onslaught to fragments.

"Why are you challenging me for leadership?"

"Let's get something straight. I'm not challenging, I'm taking. I have the backing of the others and there's no way you can stop it.

"That's not the way it works. Our law states that the only way you can assume leadership is if you challenge me and win in hand to hand combat."

"Don't talk to me about the law, Onslaught. Look around you. Do you want to keep living like this? The only laws are the whims of Galvatron and we've had enough of him."

From his hiding place, Ratbat was intrigued. After another of Starscream's failed takeover attempts, the Combaticons were reprogrammed to be loyal to Megatron. And now this. How did it happen? Perhaps the metamorphosis to Galvatron rendered the logic of the reprogramming faulty. Whatever the reason, evidently Vortex and the others didn't feel that deep under the surface, he remained Megatron.

"What are you saying?" Onslaught asked. He was slowly being backed into a corner, an event he once would have been far too clever to allow to happen.

"I think you know, but then you've gotten kind of slow lately, so I'll spell it out. I'm taking over the Combaticons and then, with some help, we're going to get rid of Galvatron and his goons. Once they're out of the way, no one can stop us from taking control of the Decepticons."

"You can't get rid of Galvatron. He's too powerful."

"No, that's merely what he wants us to think. He's too scrambled to be that strong. Power is no good without control."

"And who's going to help you?"

"Not 'you', _us_. And don't you worry about that. We'll let you know when you _need _to know," Vortex said, placing an arm across Onslaught's shoulders. The gesture would be considered friendly to anyone watching that didn't hear the exchange, but Vortex meant it to be menacing. It was hard, using this much restraint. He longed to simply beat his former team leader into submission.

"Now, are you with us, or do we have to persuade you?"

"Let me have a word with him, Vortex. I bet I can make him see it our way," said Brawl, eagerly.

"No. Onslaught's reasonable. And he can surely understand why it would be foolish to disagree any further with us. Isn't that right?" Vortex asked, wrapping his arm around one side of Onslaught's neck joint and squeezing.

He was outnumbered and trapped. There was only one correct answer in this situation, whether he meant it or not.

"Yes," Onslaught replied.

"There. I knew we could work this out," Vortex said. "Now you can get back to your little game," he continued, sliding his arm down and away, before gesturing toward the door and walking away.

Onslaught was starting to relax a tiny bit when Vortex suddenly turned to face him again. He pointed at the crushed remains of Onslaught's avatar.

"Remember what I said, and don't get ideas about telling anyone, either. You know what will happen."

Onslaught only nodded in acknowledgement.

Ratbat was surprised it went as easily as it did. Didn't Onslaught see the obvious? The only reason they didn't beat him to spare parts was because they really needed him. They couldn't form Bruticus without him, and if they seriously damaged him, he would have to go see Hook, or more likely Stormvolt, and they would want to know what had happened. As it was, Onslaught couldn't be much safer from them. Did he know this and only pretended to cooperate? He watched as the Combaticon went over to where the remains of the piece that represented him were scattered. Onslaught crouched and scraped the chunks into a pile and then scooped them into his hands. He remained on the floor, staring at the pieces in his hands for a long while.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Shyness was not an issue for Rumble or Frenzy. They were not intimidated in the least by the four larger 'bots standing over them waiting to see the purported answer to their problem.

"Do you care to explain why you've summoned us all here?" Shockwave asked. By the time the twins had called him, they were not explaining themselves. The less said openly about what was going on the better, so they only advised that he needed to come back to the headquarters sooner than scheduled.

"Relax Shockwave," Frenzy said.

"Yeah. Don't get your wires in a bunch," Rumble added.

"Get on with it," said Cyclonus. "I am not in the mood for any nonsense."

"All right, all right," said Frenzy, walking a short distance to where a portion of a workbench was covered with a tattered sheet of plastic. The lumpy protrusions beneath gave no good clues as to what it was hiding.

"So Frenzy and me was talkin'. What we need is a way to get Galvatron-,"

"Unless ya think he'll be willin' ta cooperate with the whole thing, Cyclonus," Frenzy interrupted.

"No, I do not," Cyclonus replied. Galvatron had said he would prefer to be in his old form, but once he heard how that could be obtained, he would be entirely too paranoid and suspicious to allow them to attempt it. Or he could change his answer when he wasn't under the influence of the new energon and his guard was back up.

"As I was sayin'," Rumble continued, shooting an annoyed glance at Frenzy. "What we need is a way to get Galvatron. And it should be somethin' that if it don't work, we can blame it on someone else and none of us is in any trouble."

The other Decepticons were intrigued and none of them spoke.

"And then Frenzy found just what we needed," Rumble said, pointing to Frenzy who took his cue and yanked the plastic off the object that was on the bench.

"Rrrrrgh! You're right. How did I forget about _that_?" Stormvolt said, placing a hand on her head as though it hurt. She had brought it back after their run in with the Quintessons in order to see exactly how it worked but so much else had happened that it had been set aside and no one had touched it until now.

"Told ya."

"What is that junk and how is it supposed to help us?" Shockwave asked.

Cyclonus recognized the mass of parts and was waiting to hear the rest of the plan, but he already suspected what it was.

"What that is, is a trap. It shoots out a net and then zaps ya until you're offline. Scourge got caught in it," Rumble said.

"Yeah, and the best part is it belongs to the Quintessons," Frenzy said. "That way, if Galvatron's too strong for it, we play dumb and blame it all on them."

"And how would Galvatron be caught with it?" Shockwave asked.

"I dunno. What if we planted it out away from everything and one of ya said ya found somethin' and he oughta take a look at it? Then he comes out and gets too close and that's that," Rumble suggested.

Soundwave nodded. He was pleased with his minions. There were a few obstacles in the plan, but overall it was very plausible.

"But this device is obviously damaged. How is that going do any good?" Shockwave asked.

"That's where you and Stormvolt come in. You guys can either fix it or build a new one. She knows what it's supposed ta do," Rumble said.

"Or maybe we can find another one. The Quintessons had no way of knowing that anyone would go to the exact spot where they left that one. I'd bet they planted several of them," Stormvolt said.

"True. Perhaps they did not retrieve any others they may have left. I will have the Sweeps search the asteroid," Cyclonus said, standing over the scattered parts and staring at them thoughtfully. Such deviousness directed at their leader was against his nature, but there weren't many options. If the Quintesson machine affected Galvatron as they anticipated, then it would be easy to put him into stasis and make the repairs to his damaged mind.

"I'm going to go see how Scourge is doing and then I'll come back and we can figure out the best way to go about fixing it incase the Sweeps don't find a new one," Stormvolt said to Shockwave.

"Have there been any updates from Ratbat?" Cyclonus asked.

"Negative," Soundwave replied.

"Notify me at once if there are any new developments."

"Acknowledged."

"Shockwave, you will begin work on the device. Rumble was present at its deployment and can answer your questions."

"As you wish," Shockwave replied. He didn't care for being told what to do but reminded himself it was a small thing to tolerate in order to get Megatron back. And speaking of small things to tolerate, he was equally displeased by being paired up with Soundwave's lackeys.

"Stormvolt, let us depart for the Vengeance. Scourge needs to be at full operational capacity as soon as possible.

The cassettes were perching themselves atop the workbench on either side of the ruined trap. Their suggestion was accepted as the plan and they were proud of the fact. They were expecting nothing more and were quite taken aback by what happened next.

Cyclonus was following the seeker toward the door when he stopped suddenly and turned.

"Rumble? Frenzy?" he said. They looked at him, expecting yet more instructions. "Well done." And then he left, not seeing the expressions of astonishment exchanged between the pair.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The Sweep ordered to watch over Scourge wasn't the most cowardly of the three, but he felt uneasy. Nothing had happened and that was partially why. Scourge remained stretched out on a table in the repair bay. The beeping of monitoring equipment attached to his team leader was the only sound on board the _Vengeance_, save for the occasional creak of the metal hull of the ship. The glowing displays of the monitors cast a gloomy light as they advised of the many aspects of Scourge's functioning. If not for those readouts, the tracker could have been deactivated as far as appearances went. It had the feeling of a crypt and the Sweep didn't like it. It would have eased his mind greatly to know that Scourge was, in fact, fine but maintained the appearance of dormancy out of caution.

Scourge felt good physically, a condition that previously he never thought he would experience again. It was tempting to move around and try out his repairs, but he fought against the urge. His sensors told him there was a Sweep nearby. He did not fear his subordinate, but he knew that he wasn't here out of concern. No doubt Cyclonus or Galvatron had commanded him to stand guard and notify them upon his awakening. What did they have planned next? Did Galvatron want to pummel him again? Would he be tortured out of spite? Did they want to publicly execute him as an example to the others?

He heard a heavy scrape as the Sweep shifted his weight. What should he do? Was the Sweep brandishing a weapon? Was he paying close attention or was he distracted by something else? Would it be possible to overpower him and make an escape? But then where would he go? Questions flew through his processor but they found no answers. And then the chance to consider them further disappeared. Sudden steps were growing louder as they approached and his spark sank when one of the owners spoke.

"Is he online yet?" Cyclonus asked.

"I do not think so," said the Sweep. "He hasn't moved since I got here."

"Very well. You are dismissed."

Whoever was with Cyclonus came nearer. The lightness of their steps indicated someone of lesser weight. Probably the femme.

"All the readouts seem good," said Stormvolt. "But he was pretty beat up, it could just be taking a tad longer than we thought." Or possibly he was faking. Cyclonus came over to view the monitors himself, although he wasn't knowledgeable about all the information he saw there.

"Let's give him a little shove in the right direction. Would you grab the circuit booster from the storage room while I pull off this panel?"

Cyclonus nodded and did as requested. Stormvolt picked up a couple of tools and leaned in close to Scourge.

"Hey, you better knock it off. If I use that booster on you when you're already online, it's going to hurt like you wouldn't believe. Cyclonus isn't here to kill you, if that's what you're worried about. But when you leap off of this table howling in pain, he's gonna know you were faking and then he'll really be pissed," she whispered. There was no response. Was she wrong? The seeker removed the panel that allowed access to the connections she needed. Cyclonus returned with the device and it was quickly connected.

"All right, a jolt from this and hopefully he'll be ready to go," Stormvolt said, as a final warning. "One, two…"

Right on cue Scourge began to stir.

"How fortuitous," Cyclonus said, dryly. He had immediately noticed the way Stormvolt pointedly announced her intentions. Ordinarily she was silent except when requesting assistance in some way. He wasn't crazy about it, but he knew she preferred to make others do things of their own free will, or at least think they were, instead of threatening or forcing them.

Scourge slowly rose to a sitting position. "I still function?" He asked, hoping his surprise was accepted at genuine. If they had arrived there earlier, it wouldn't have been acting. He had been honestly shocked to discover he was alive.

"Spare me your deceit, Scourge," Cyclonus said. "I haven't the patience for any more difficulties with you."

"So you _are_ going to destroy me," said Scourge, gloomily. "All I ask is that you make it quick."

Stormvolt moved aside. Once Cyclonus was finished she would give Scourge one final going over, but she didn't want to be in the way if the second in command's version of persuasion was applied.

"Courageous as ever. Stop it, and listen to me. You have one final opportunity to return yourself to my good graces," Cyclonus said with a warning clearly implied in his tone.

"I do?" This certainly wasn't what he expected. Not at all. Torture, pain and death, yes, but not a chance to redeem himself. Was it a cruel trick? It didn't make sense.

"Why?" He asked, before he could stop himself.

"Because we are on the verge of a glorious event, and to achieve it your participation is required."

When he heard what was expected of him, Scourge didn't think it was that bad. All he had to do was take a couple of Sweeps and return to the asteroid where the Quintessons had captured him and locate another of the devices. It was too easy.

"And this is all I have to do? Afterwards all is forgiven?" He asked, suspiciously.

"I didn't say that. What I said was that your first assignment was to locate and retrieve one of the snares. There will be other tasks, but you do not need to know what they are or why yet." Scourge still appeared dubious. He hated it when the other mech acted mysterious.

"Are you going to be a problem? I can grant your earlier request if you'd like," Cyclonus said, taking a threatening step in Scourge's direction.

"No! Of course I'll do as you say. When do you want me to go?" It continued to have the feel of a trap. He would have to keep an extra close eye on the Sweeps he took along.

"The sooner the better."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Swindle wondered how he got himself into these messes but deep down he knew it was because he valued his own armor and sheet metal above all else. He had hoped that Vortex would eventually lose interest in the scheme but thus far he was showing no signs of that.

"That's everyone," Vortex said with a smug grin as he, Swindle and Brawl left the crumbling structure Onslaught considered their base of operations. "Now we need to figure out the best way to get rid of Galvatron."

"I thought we were going to attack him and fight it out," Brawl said, ready to be upset if more peaceful methods were devised.

"I don't know. I'm not convinced we could take him in a normal battle. And besides that, what if one of us is wounded or deactivated in the process? Or what if the Stunticons double-cross us?" Said Swindle.

"I don't know if they're that bright, but it would be better not to give them the chance," said Vortex.

"What then? No way can we threaten Galvatron like we did Onslaught. I say we blast them into scrap," Brawl argued.

"No, I think Swindle is on to something. Maybe there's a way to get the job done with less notice. If it works on Galvatron and his idiots, we could use it on Motormaster or all the Stunticons if we're quick about it. But what is it?"

With underhandness being his specialty, it didn't take Swindle long to come up with the idea.

"I think I've got it," he said.

"Out with it," Vortex demanded.

"One word: Ambush."


	39. Momentum Shift

Author's note: Hi all. There's a little bit more of this at the end so I don't give anything away before I absolutely have to. Thanks for reading and commenting and favorite-ing. I really appreciate your interest in this. Transformers belongs to Hasbro and Takara. Enjoy.

A Blessing and A Curse  
By: Quetzal1

Chapter 38  
Momentum Shift

"The programming is complete. The device is armed," said Shockwave, quickly rising to his feet and stepping away from the refurbished and modified Quintesson snare.

"I can't believe we're seriously going to do this," said Stormvolt. It really did sound like a good plan in theory, but in all honesty there was no telling what Galvatron would do. He might blame the tentacled aliens as they planned or he could, somehow, and for reasons known only to himself, blame all of them. Correction, he wouldn't blame everyone, only those present when the trap was sprung.

Shockwave and Stormvolt didn't restore the original Quintesson device nor did they find a totally unused version on the asteroid. Scourge and the Sweeps located another but it had already been set off. The net was shredded and the power supply had discharged, enabling them to retrieve it without sustaining any shocks. There was no indication as to what had activated it. Perhaps a Sharkticon or Allicon had gotten into it when they were planting them. Ultimately, after cycles of hard work, a combination of both devices was constructed with additional touches they fabricated themselves along with a boost in strength. They all decided that if Galvatron was the most powerful of them all, it would be wise to increase the level of the charge. They needed to ensure he was offlined and not merely wounded and pissed off. It hadn't been a fast process. Once they created a workable device it was tested thoroughly over and over. Finally the pair came to a mutual agreement that no further improvements were necessary.

After careful deliberation, Cyclonus decided to plant the trap in an empty area that turned out to be not far away from where the Skuxxoid was discovered by Vortex. There hadn't been much exploration of that area so to find something unusual there wouldn't be implausible.

"I am confident in my work," Shockwave said, but inside, he too harbored a tiny bit of concern. Galvatron was extremely unpredictable in so many ways. What if this was all for naught? He did have the comfort of knowing that if worst came to worst and the plan didn't get beyond the opening phase, he would be out of sight, and hence blameless as far as Galvatron knew.

"It's not my work that concerns me, it's Galvatron. And I'm not crazy about the backup plan either." If it turned out that their fears were realized, it was Stormvolt's job to add to the power he received by blasting him with a small, tightly controlled lightning bolt. When not working on the device, she had practiced on the no-name planet daily until she was positive she could do it. The hard part would be hitting him from behind in such a way that he didn't see her do it. If she screwed up that part, it would be hard to lie her way out of it. Galvatron was crazy but not stupid. It was unlikely he'd believe that she was aiming for the device and hit him instead. She would simply have to make her best effort if it came down to that, because it was too late to come up with anything else now.

"I am departing to the Vengeance to prepare for the next phase," Shockwave said, ignoring her discomfiture.

"Right. We'll be there soon. Hopefully." She wondered what he would do when Megatron was restored. He seemed like the sort who wasn't above gossiping and lying to make someone else look bad. Especially if he was jealous. But then, Megatron had been living in her head so he knew what the situation actually was.

"Are we ready to proceed?" Cyclonus asked.

"Yes. The trap is armed and set to go," Stormvolt said.

Cyclonus nodded and then glared skyward. "Thrust has yet to report," he said impatiently.

All of this had to remain secret. It simply wouldn't do to have a 'bot blundering into the middle of the act and fouling it up or for word of it to get back to the traitorous Stunticons and Combaticons. The seeker was supposed to be watching a large perimeter around their location and calling in at certain intervals to advise on any nearby activity. He was late.

It wasn't news to Soundwave. As requested, Thrust had found him two cycles after placing the tracking device on Vortex's weapon and gave Soundwave the fragment of the Ranazite crystal he had been carrying. Not long after that, Thrust began to have navigation problems again and reverted to the meeker version of his personality. The telepath was almost certain the suspicions he'd formed were fact. Unfortunately, he had to suspend his experiments for now.

"Thrust, where are you?" Cyclonus transmitted.

There was a long pause before the answer came through. "I am on the last segment of the perimeter. No activity sighted anywhere."

Cyclonus considered reprimanding him for the lack of reporting. He suspected it had taken so long because Thrust was off course or lost again. Either way, what would be the point now? He impatiently turned to Soundwave.

"Dispatch Laserbeak or Buzzsaw to patrol a perimeter 15 nanoclicks closer than Thrust's assigned route. I do not trust him to perform the task properly."

Soundwave nodded and immediately launched Buzzsaw. The raptor circled overhead and shrieked once before departing.

"Cyclonus, I still don't think this is wise. What if you fail?" Scourge asked. He had been incredulous upon being informed why he and the Sweeps were sent to recover the Quintesson device. Further, he wanted no part of it. Given that his most recent interactions with Galvatron had nearly resulted in death, it wasn't surprising.

"Do not trouble yourself, Scourge. You will be safely hidden away while Galvatron is subdued. If we fail, your reputation will remain _unsullied_," Cyclonus replied, witheringly. "As for failure, it will only be considered that if we do not make the attempt."

"But what if it turns out like the last one?"

"That was unfortunate, but not a failure. From that incident we learned what Galvatron's damage was. And this time he is not in the hands of untrustworthy outsiders," Cyclonus said, although deep down he felt treacherous and didn't like it. He hated to deceive his master, but there was no way around it. "Now, all of you go to your positions and wait."

All that remained were Cyclonus, Stormvolt and a Sweep.

"Are you ready?" Cyclonus asked.

"Yes," Stormvolt lied. Was anyone ever truly ready to mess with Galvatron?

The Sweep merely nodded, but his posture suggested he and the femme were thinking along the same lines.

"Very well." He turned slightly away from them and activated his communicator. "Lord Galvatron, this is Cyclonus. Please respond."

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

On the far side of Chaar, an area that was even more desolate than that populated by the Decepticons, Laserbeak was busy collecting the last of the signal recorders Soundwave had instructed him to place at specific locations three cycles back. Precise in his measurements and having carefully noted the coordinates previously, the raptor spiraled downward toward a small plateau.

Rather than land aircraft style, he changed the output of his engines so that he hovered instead of being propelled forward. He got close to the ground and released a carrier and then lowered himself down beside it. Nearby, the recorder was as he had left it. He approached the device and then delicately picked it up in his beak, taking care to not accidentally crush it. This was the last one. He turned and placed it in the carrier with the others. Each one had the recording times and location coordinates encoded which gave Soundwave all the information he required. Laserbeak knew the reason for Soundwave's studies and wondered himself where the signal originated from and what its purpose was. That, however, was a secondary concern. What he was most interested in at the moment was what was taking place back on the inhabited side of Chaar.

Laserbeak didn't give much consideration to the other 'bots outside of his immediate team. He'd been loyal to Megatron because Soundwave was. He did not interact with Galvatron at all if it was avoidable and he certainly never perched himself on their current leader's arm the way he used to with Megatron. There was no way of knowing for certain exactly how Soundwave felt about it, but the cassettes were all anxious to see what would happen with the transplant. As he waited for Soundwave to recall him, he viewed his surroundings from the perch on the high plateau and hoped that it was a success. He had had enough of this wasteland, and under Galvatron's rule there wasn't a lot of hope for anything better.

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"That_…piece of garbage_? That is what you called me out here for?" Galvatron asked, as he peered down at the object from a short distance away with his customary scorn.

"Yes, Mighty Galvatron," said Cyclonus. "We have not seen such a thing before and I did not want to disturb it. Perhaps it is valuable or useful."

_Also, none of us wanted to get the living shit shocked out of us_, Stormvolt added mentally. The triggering sensor was very sensitive. All they needed to do was to get Galvatron in front of it.

"Do you know what it is, Lord Galvatron?" Stormvolt asked hopefully. Maybe playing up to that giant ego would help. She didn't think he would admit ignorance right away. The Sweep standing next to her remained silent, deciding it would be far smarter to speak when spoken to rather than voluntarily implicate himself in this.

"Who found it?" Galvatron asked. He followed the gaze of Cyclonus and Stormvolt. The Sweep stared back at them helplessly. So much for staying out of it. "Well? Speak up!"

"It was I, Mighty One. I discovered it when I was on patrol," the Sweep replied.

"I see. Was there anyone else around? Did you see anything suspicious?"

"No sir."

Galvatron acted satisfied with the information and began to approach the snare. The others watched anxiously as he got closer and closer before veering off in the wrong direction. He stopped on the backside of the object safely away from the range of the sensor in the front. Stormvolt tried her hardest to keep a curious or neutral expression. A glance at Cyclonus and the Sweep showed they were both successfully hiding any feelings they were having. Galvatron began to move again, finally walking around toward the front. Stormvolt felt herself tensing all over in anticipation.

"I cannot believe you brought me out here for this idiocy," Galvatron said, and lightly kicked the snare. He didn't know what it was. There were no identifying markings on the surface. Conceivably it had collided with the desolate planet a long while ago but it had a clean and shiny surface, which contradicted that idea. What difference did it make? He was on the verge of putting a new plan into action and didn't have time to waste on fool's errands. "Have you three grown so stupid that you - " His tirade was cut short when he reached the sensor's field and the snare fired its net. The results were stunning and immediate.

"_AAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRGH! WHAT IS HAPP- GET ME OUT OF HERE!_" Galvatron roared. Sparks flew as thousands upon thousands of volts tore through him. Because of the kick, the device was crooked and when it fired, not all of the stakes on the net's edges lodged securely into the ground. The initial shock had knocked him down and the mech was thrashing about and trying to reach the opening. They couldn't let him escape. If he got free, they would never have another such opportunity. Stormvolt raised her right arm and began to take careful aim. The act of shooting him in the back did not trouble her conscience at all, not after everything he had done to her, both versions of him.

_**Enjoy it. You will never get the chance again.**_ The voice said with amusement.

She didn't acknowledge him, but instead concentrated on her aim and controlling the power to be released. As she was about to fire, Cyclonus gently shoved her arm downward.

"Wait. Don't do it until I tell you," he said, and then ran toward Galvatron.

"Cyclonus, help me!" Galvatron cried out weakly as he rose to his knees and then fell again, finally beginning to succumb to the attack.

"I am trying Mighty One," Cyclonus replied, as he faked hitting various buttons on the small control panel. This deception ran counter to all that he believed and he hated it. But in the long run it would be better for all of them, most especially Galvatron. He pretended to give up on the controls and then did something that he knew would be unpleasant but was necessary to make his attempt at rescue appear authentic. Cyclonus turned and grabbed the net and began to pull on it, knowing that it was a futile effort and what would happen next. The net had a series of motion detectors built into its cables and whenever they were disturbed, a high voltage charge was released but it also adjusted the power to the amount of movement. Galvatron was beginning to slow, his struggles becoming feeble. When Cyclonus grabbed the net and savagely pulled at it, it let go with another strong charge sent him flying backward, landing on his side and sliding a short distance. It was enough to finally offline Galvatron.

Optics flickering unsteadily, Cyclonus pushed himself into a sitting position. That had hurt, but it was necessary. Internal diagnostics showed there was no lasting damage and he would be perfectly fine within minutes.

"Are you alright?" Stormvolt asked, crouching beside him. He must have been more out of it than he thought because he didn't hear her approach.

"I am fine. Our priority is Galvatron. We must free him and get to the Vengeance immediately."

The Sweep was standing over their leader, unsure of what to do. He certainly wasn't going to touch that net until he was told it was alright to do so.

Stormvolt gave Cyclonus a hand up and then returned to the device to deactivate it. "Okay. It's off," she said.

The Sweep gingerly picked up the unsecured edge of the net as if he didn't believe her and was fully expecting to be electrocuted. Cyclonus shoved him aside impatiently and pulled on the net with gargantuan effort until four of the spikes popped loose from the rocky ground. By the time he accomplished that, Scourge, Soundwave and a Sweep had joined them.

"Scourge, you and I will transfer Galvatron to the Vengeance. Soundwave, you will return to the mine and supervise in my absence and you remaining Sweeps will assist him. Make sure the Combaticons take over the guard posts and that the Stunticons go to the mine."

"Acknowledged," Soundwave said, and then leapt skyward, closely followed by the Sweep.

"Let's go before he comes out of it," Scourge said, crouching and then awkwardly pulling Galvatron's limp body from beneath the net. Cyclonus knelt and placed one Galvatron's arms around his neck, when Scourge had done likewise, they both rose unsteadily to a standing position. To Stormvolt, Galvatron looked like a drunk being carried home. She quickly gathered up the snare and the foursome then launched for the battleship and an attempt to change the destiny of Decepticon kind.

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"Nice. Very nice," Vortex said appreciatively, as he walked around the latest delivery of weapons and energon. Among the items was another large cannon, although it wasn't as massive as the last one. Despite that shortcoming it would undoubtedly do a large, if not fatal, amount of damage.

Brawl stood nearby, watching the blue tinted projection of the Quintesson with open disgust. Diplomatic relations were not his forte.

"Everything is to your satisfaction?" The image asked.

"Yes, but in the future, how about bringing a couple more of those big cannons like that last one?" Vortex replied.

"Do you have a specific use in mind?" Out in space just beyond reach of scanning equipment on Cybertron, a Quintesson ship drifted. Aboard it, the particular creature who was transmitting its likeness to Chaar silently calculated the odds that the Decepticon would be initiating hostile actions far sooner than previously estimated. Its companions were likewise considering the chances that they would be the next target if Vortex was able to somehow take of control of his faction without being destroyed himself or without the Decepticons all destroying each other in all out civil war.

"Of course I have a use in mind. I'm gonna blast somebody. What else do you do with a weapon like that?" Vortex said. What did they care what he did with the guns? Sometimes they were a bit too nosy for their own good. Well, once he had matters on Chaar wrapped up, he would go after those freaks next. If he destroyed them and then brought the Sharkticons and Allicons under his command too, the Autobots wouldn't have a chance.

"I see. We will bring the next shipment in two cycles."

"Fine. Don't forget the cannons."

The image didn't reply and faded out of sight.

"Primus, I hate those things," Brawl said.

"So do I, but they're really helping us. Though they don't know they're helping to wipe themselves out too."

"Oh yeah? I like the sound of that."

"That's for later. Right now we need to get this gun in place. Come on, it has to get done before we switch places with the Stunticons."

"Are you sure we've got to do that? I don't want to be stuck out in the middle of nowhere for who knows how long."

"Yes. Cyclonus wants us on guard duty so we have to go along with it. We don't want him getting any more suspicious than he already is."

"It's better than being stuck in that mine, I guess."

"Right. At least out at a guard post no one's constantly watching you."

From his vantage point high up in the shadows on a nearby peak, Ratbat would have found Vortex's comment amusing if he possessed a sense of humor. As it was, he was glad they were going to be occupied and in a fixed location soon. He needed a recharge. But first, he would complete his mission by following to see what new chicanery they were up to.

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As a human, Stormvolt had hated going to see a doctor. She didn't like it any better now. Perched on a table and attached to various monitors, she waited and tried not to make herself more nervous. Galvatron was safely in stasis and was sprawled out facedown on a table beside her. She watched him, thinking how easy it would be to mistake him for dead.

Shockwave, having gathered the last of the tools he would need to perform his task, placed them on a cart and pushed it to the area between the two tables. "I am ready to begin," he announced.

"Proceed, but know that as before, your every move will be watched. You will advise us of each step in the procedure before you perform it. If there is any deviation, or you do anything inappropriate or suspicious, you will be terminated," Cyclonus said, drawing his weapon and moving nearer in order to have a better view.

"Very well," Shockwave said with annoyance. How wonderful it was going to be having Megatron restored. He would deal with these abominations, all three of them and the Sweeps too. "First, I am going to induce stasis in the femme to prevent any power surge that removing the processor may cause." He moved over and stood behind her with Scourge following.

"Open your cranial chamber," Shockwave said. "It will be easier than if I have to do it manually after you are in stasis."

Ick. Why couldn't Soundwave have done this? She could inwardly bitch all she wanted but it wasn't going to make it happen. Stormvolt shot a quick glance toward Cyclonus. He nodded slightly and then her communicator activated on its internal setting.

"_Do not be concerned. I will allow no harm to befall you at his hands,"_ Cyclonus transmitted.

"_Thanks,"_ she replied, still not feeling terribly confident.

_**How much reassurance do you require? Shockwave will not harm you and risk damaging me in the process. I have told you that. **_

I know, but he gives me the creeps anyway.

_**Get over it. And do not forget what I told you. Galvatron will not be subdued immediately. Be patient and remind the others if it becomes necessary. **_

Right.

_**Let us continue. **_

There was no turning back now. With a series of familiar whirring noises, the sections of her head armor came apart and moved outward, like the petals of a blooming flower.

"Initiating stasis," Shockwave said, and then tapped a few buttons on one of the pieces of equipment the seeker was connected to via cable.

Stormvolt had never gone into stasis from an online condition and she had only seconds to wonder if it was like anesthesia. Were you aware of a heavy, drowsy feeling that you could fight to a tiny degree until you were distracted by some other random thought or was it - . Her processor cut off abruptly as her systems powered down.

Cyclonus observed as she slumped forward but remained in a sitting position. He moved closer to Shockwave. The second in command did not engage in empty threats and hoped Shockwave was sensible enough to recognize it.

"First, I will open Galvatron's cranial chamber," Shockwave said, turning away from Stormvolt and then standing over the inert mech. It took several minutes but at last the damaged workings of Galvatron's mind were exposed. He turned back to the seeker and picked up a tiny rotary saw.

"Now I will begin the removal of the auxiliary processor. Scans indicate the area below the processor is hollow and functions merely as a mounting place for it." Thus far, it wasn't looking as if it would be a difficult job. Shockwave was expecting to have to disconnect some of the tendrils that snaked out from the processor, but when the chamber opened, they all detached and withdrew back into the device. Oddly, one of them stopped before disappearing and spat a shower of tiny sparks at him. Was it a warning? If so, it was totally unnecessary, much like the threat implied by the two oafs crowding his space currently. Of course he would do no harm to the processor or to Galvatron. It was unthinkable. The femme, however, would make for interesting experiment material, but he wouldn't do that either. He couldn't. Not right now, anyway. Perhaps once Megatron was back he would permit it. As it was, he would not harm her. He had no desire to be destroyed before he had a chance to witness their glorious restoration. He started the saw and carefully began to cut into the base that secured the processor.

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"Slag, Vortex! Does it have to be perfect? And why so high?" Brawl complained. He and Vortex were on the side of a steep mountain, attempting to place a giant cannon so that it had a clear shot at the valley below. Even in his compromised state Onslaught would have recognized the area as being the actual version of the place represented by his model. Swindle had suggested it as the perfect spot to stage the ambush that would ultimately destroy Galvatron and his followers. They were going to place three of the cannons around the valley and then get their so-called leader and his closest minions out there on one pretext or another before cutting them to pieces in the triangulated fire. Thus far they had placed the most recently received cannon and now they were nearly finished with the gigantic weapon received in the first delivery.

"Yes it does. This probably has a huge recoil and I don't want it falling off of here after one shot. And from up here, there's nowhere they can run to get away. Come on and help me shove it to the right a little and I think that'll do it." Vortex replied. The two Combaticons threw all of their considerable weight into the effort and the back end of cannon slid a couple of feet.

"There, that should take care of it. Now let's pile up some rocks to hide it."

They worked in silence until both of their communicators activated.

"Attention Combaticons. Report to the sentry posts immediately. Objective: Relieve Stunticons. Acknowledge," Soundwave's inflectionless voice commanded.

"Oh great," Brawl said. He knew it was coming but that didn't make him any more interested in performing so mindless a task as guard duty. "Do you think he's one of _them_?"

"I don't know. His little lackeys seem to get along with the femme fairly well and you know she's with Galvatron."

"Good point."

"Let me answer him before he sends one of them out here after us. That's the last thing we need."

Ratbat watched as Vortex replied to Soundwave's call. Good. Get them in the sentry posts and the Stunticons in the mine and then he could catch a recharge. A tiny speck in the sky overhead caught his optic despite the darkness and his hopes for a rest began to diminish. He zoomed his vision in on the object and noted with disquiet it was a mechanoid raptor and neither Laserbeak nor Buzzsaw. No, this was a far larger and more sinister machine. As he shifted his vision downward, he also spotted another shape on the mountainside above his position that had not been there previously. This one was harder to see from his vantage point, but he was reasonably certain that it was similar to an Earth lion. The Combaticons, apparently, did not notice. This might complicate matters. Unwittingly, Vortex had chosen to stage his attack in territory claimed by the Predacons.

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There was a collection of low-pitched mechanical noises overlapping one another. Stormvolt wondered what it was for a split second and then realized it was her. Blackness gave way to bright, multicolored indicators at the edges of her vision and then her optics activated to reveal Cyclonus standing over her. She wasn't prepared for it and it have her a start.

"Do you have a malfunction?" He asked with concern.

"No. I wasn't expecting you to be right standing right there, that's all." She sat up, glancing around while absently rubbing the back of her head to guarantee it was closed up to her satisfaction. Galvatron remained on the other table but had been placed on his back. "He's still out?"

"Yes. You needed to be online first to maintain the integrity of the story."

"Right." Shockwave had taken his leave. For him to make an appearance would arouse suspicion. She had kind of wondered if he would balk at not getting credit, but then _Megatron_ already knew of his involvement. With the exception of Cyclonus, everyone was happy with Galvatron not knowing about their involvement with anything, no matter how good it was, and occasionally she wasn't entirely certain that Cyclonus didn't feel that way also. Unfortunately for her, she would have to admit to being the one who performed repairs on Galvatron when he came back on line and demanded to know what happened if he didn't remember.

"How do you feel? Is there any difference now that the processor has been removed?"

"Not that I can tell. Not yet anyway," she said, sliding down from the table, and noting with fondness how Cyclonus moved closer with a hand out to catch her if she stumbled. Hmmm. Possibly what she had just said was wrong. She had had a nice thought about Cyclonus without the standard smart-ass remark from Megatron. That was actually pretty cool. Maybe her mind was really her own again. "We better get this table out of the way then I'll activate Galvatron's systems and bring him out of stasis." _And pray he doesn't scrap us both_.

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_**Somewhere in Space**_

The star would go nova soon and that would be the real test of the _Solaris_. Its experimental skin should be able to withstand the heat and radiation of the explosion. If it couldn't they were in a lot of trouble. Jessica Morgan glanced at the timer. Only a few minutes to go. She nervously looked over all the ship's readouts as, to her right, Gregory Swafford did the same but without emotion. If he was jittery, he wasn't showing it much. Gregory didn't believe in luck, only science.

Jessica was about to switch to a different display when a scanner showed another ship nearby that was headed straight for the star. It was most likely a derelict, but to be certain, she checked for life signs and was stunned when the return indicated someone or something was indeed alive on the ship.

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Author's note: I hate to tell you this because I don't want to give any more away than I have to, but proper credit must be given. The last section was derived from the episode "The Return of Optimus Prime," written by Marv Wolfman and Cherie Wilkerson. Also there's a message regarding updates on my profile page.


	40. It's the End of the World As We Know It

Author's Note: This chapter has little bits (not word for word but some plot points) from "The Return of Optimus Prime," Parts 1 and 2 written by Marv Wolfman and Cherie Wilkerson. And the next chapter will likely be the last one that follows the G1 cartoon. After that it's something else entirely. I'm looking forward to being away from the cartoon with this. I think it'll be even more fun that way. Thank you for reading and commenting and favorite-ing and such. I appreciate it. Enjoy. Transformers belongs to Hasbro and Takara, but not me.

A Blessing and A Curse  
By: Quetzal1

Chapter 39  
It's The End Of The World As We Know It

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The readouts showed no difference in Galvatron's current functions compared to what they were before. Leaning on the table, Stormvolt watched the monitors closely to prevent his regaining consciousness without their knowing it and decided to run a comparison strictly out of curiosity. Yes, Megatron said it wouldn't happen right away, but that didn't eliminate the possibility of there being some kind of sign. He could be wrong. It wasn't as if he was moved around like this regularly to know for certain. When the display returned its answer she grinned slightly. No, he hadn't done it before as far as she knew but it appeared that he was right nevertheless. He was _always_ right. As she looked upon Galvatron's motionless form, she wondered again what the future had in store and what the voice had meant about having plans for her. It wasn't the fact that he had plans, (like being right he always had a scheme in the works) but the way he hinted at them in that sly way. It was creepy. She took a peek at the doorway to the hall expectantly. Cyclonus had taken the opportunity to go to the command bridge to verify the correct functioning of the _Vengeance_ in much the same way as she was inspecting Galvatron. The ship spent a lot of time in low orbit around Chaar, positioned so that it was out of view of Cybertron though its existence was no secret. Better not to have it out in the open as a big target. It did not seem to ever have any technical difficulties, but it was a good idea to check it now and then and it had been a many cycles since anyone had. She wished he would get back to the repair bay soon. Offline or not, she didn't like being alone with Galvatron.

He was okay thus far and there was no need to keep standing over him the way she was. Besides, it was a good idea to not be within easy reach when he snapped out of…. Stormvolt didn't get to finish the thought because suddenly her wrist was gripped by Galvatron's hand. He wasn't crushing the appendage the way one would expect. It felt more like a reassuring gesture, but with him there was no telling. She looked at him, afraid of what she would see. Instead of the enraged sneer she expected, the mech was actually smiling at her, one optic glowing more brightly than the other, exactly like the one time she'd witnessed Megatron temporarily take him over. It wasn't what you'd call a happy expression. There was an overt nastiness she had seen on other occasions in the far past, usually when he enacted another plot against the Autobots. Before she could speak, the dimmer optic flickered and grew as bright as the other and the smile changed into a silent snarl. The hand on her wrist clamped down painfully hard and Galvatron yanked her close to him, almost making her fall.

"What is going on here?" He asked. Instead of his usual strident tone, he spoke quietly and conversationally as if honestly curious. Stormvolt much preferred his screaming at her. When he got quiet anything could happen and generally none of it good. Again it reminded her of the old days when Megatron would be pissed about the latest setback or failure and instead of raging openly and taking it out on Starscream or whoever was handy, he quietly brooded and let it build with everyone scared that they would be the one to set him off. Was it coincidence that he was suddenly reminding her of his old self this much or was it wishful thinking?

"Lord Galvatron! I am so relieved," she said, thinking: _If nothing else, hanging around you has improved my acting skills. _But an Oscar caliber performance wouldn't do her any good if he were in the wrong frame of mind.

"What are you babbling about?" He said, roughly shoving her away and pulling himself into a sitting position.

Cyclonus returned in time to witness Stormvolt stumbling backward a few steps before regaining her balance.

"Mighty One! I am pleased to see that you are well," he said. As best he could tell, Galvatron was the same as before, and hadn't suffered any lasting effects from the trap nor had the new processor caused any damage. None that was obvious, anyway.

"Is that so?" Galvatron asked, as he jumped down from the table and began to approach. Stormvolt had already joined Cyclonus and threw a concerned glance in his direction. Even together, the odds were against their being able to completely fend off an attack. Hopefully he remained too weak to hurt them much.

"Someone had better explain this immediately or I will scrap the both of you!"

"You do not remember?" Cyclonus asked.

"Idiot! If I remembered I wouldn't need to ask you, now would I?" Galvatron replied, swatting tools from a table as he passed it.

Stormvolt winced inwardly as they clattered to the floor and hoped he hadn't damaged anything. There were no replacements for ninety percent of the items in the ship's repair bay.

"Of course, please excuse me. I am just relieved to see you still function. There was damage to your circuitry and - "

"I didn't ask about my damage, I WANT TO KNOW WHAT CAUSED IT!" By then Galvatron had gotten close enough to throw a punch. As hoped, it wasn't up to full strength, but it was enough to knock Cyclonus back a short distance.

"You were examining a device and it went off," Stormvolt said, drawing Galvatron's attention away from Cyclonus before he got geared up enough to beat on him.

"And?" Galvatron asked, taking a step in her direction.

"It released a tremendous amount of energy and shocked you until you were offline," Cyclonus said, catching on to the strategy. If they kept his attention divided between the two of them, perhaps he would be distracted enough that neither of them would be punished.

"Yes, and then we brought you here for repairs," Stormvolt added, watching as their leader whipped his head back and forth between them like a spectator at a tennis match.

"Who is responsible for this? The Autobots, I suppose. I will destroy them slowly and painfully. Yes, they will suffer greatly for this offense."

"No, Mighty Galvatron," Cyclonus said. "It was the Quintessons."

"How do _you _know?"

"We deconstructed the device and found this on a part inside," Stormvolt said, removing a small piece of metal from a compartment on her arm and passing it to Galvatron who immediately snatched it from her hand. It was discovered when she and Shockwave had disassembled the scraps of the first device and then promptly set aside for use as evidence to back up their lie.

The mech stared closely at the part and the faction symbol engraved into its surface. Though it was a marking seldom seen, he recognized it immediately and it didn't improve his disposition. Both the femme and the second in command expected an outburst of epic proportions but Galvatron remained wildly unpredictable.

"Those miserable, wretched, little five-faced liars," he said, calmly, almost wonderingly as he crumpled the evidence into an unrecognizable wad of metal.

"Do you wish to attack them at the first opportunity?" Cyclonus asked, hiding his eagerness.

"No. I have a much more important undertaking in progress. I was about to execute my plan before this interruption."

"Plan?"

"Don't act so surprised, Cyclonus. I don't tell you everything. And if we're through dawdling here let's go. There is much to do."

Stormvolt began to join them. But Galvatron waved her away.

"Not you. I may have need of one who is at least semi-competent at repairs before my plan is complete. Remain on Chaar until I summon you."

"As you command," Stormvolt said. It was stupid, but she couldn't help feeling mildly offended on two counts. The first being the slight regarding her talents at repair, and the other at once again being left behind. What could you do? And if it involved Earth, she'd rather stay out of it.

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Soundwave didn't mind being left in charge of mining operations. Most of the other mechs kept removing the element from the rocky walls, though none of them were going to set any records for speed, and the Constructicons continued to shore up the insides to prevent collapse while moving on to new chambers and expanding. Occasionally they required the assistance of the others, but other than that it was the same and he didn't have to do much. It provided ample opportunity for analysis of data.

The Stunticons had followed soon after Ratbat arrived. They were not pleased to be there. At least at the guard posts they could sit around and do nothing. In the mine they would be required to do actual work. There was the usual complaining and half-hearted, clumsily veiled threats, but that was all. Eventually they picked up tools and got to work.

Only Motormaster didn't outright complain. He had given Soundwave a knowing smirk and said "It won't always be this way," before wandering off to a far corner of the enormous room. How obvious. No wonder Vortex acted annoyed with him.

For now Soundwave busied himself with the information on the recorders that Laserbeak had retrieved and with Ratbat's latest update. The Predacons were a variable no one, including (much to his chagrin) himself, had considered. He advised Cyclonus and left it at that. The second in command could deal with them for now. The fact that Cyclonus was still functioning when he was contacted suggested that all was well thus far with the transfer. Although he was curious as to the outcome of Galvatron's repairs, he didn't worry. That was a waste of circuitry. Either they were successful or they were not and he had planned for either outcome.

The recorders had been scattered on both sides of the planet and for many cycles. Now all he had to do was collate the information they contained. Right away he began to notice a pattern. The signal's power strengthened and waned in various areas according to the rotation of Chaar. Whatever it was, it came from off planet. He had seen enough before now to formulate and test a hypothesis that the Ranazite somehow counteracted the effects of whatever was reducing the others' mental capacities. Was the mystery signal the culprit behind that? It was too soon to say with certainty, but perhaps if he determined its origin, he would have an answer. If it was, why didn't it affect all of them? Was it merely luck? He performed more calculations. At first his conclusion didn't make sense but when he cross-referenced other data it became obvious and he downloaded the information to the cassettes as multiple back ups. He was prepared for the sudden internal commotion their comments at this new knowledge would bring. They were immediately silenced when a new message came to them. Evidently the others got it too because everyone in the mine paused what they were doing to listen.

"Attention Soundwave, Shockwave, Predacons, Constructicons, Stunticons, Combaticons and Sweeps! Report to the staging area at headquarters immediately!" Came the voice of Galvatron. He didn't sound any the worse for wear. What could he possibly want now? And he even included Shockwave. It didn't escape the mech's notice that Stormvolt, Astrotrain, Thrust, Scourge and Cyclonus weren't among those named. Conceivably, except for Astrotrain, they were already present. But then again, there was also the possibility that Galvatron did not want to include them for whatever reason. He also did not name the Terrorcons. They, like the Predacons, mostly stayed out of sight but Buzzsaw had spotted them leaving the ratty headquarters building a few cycles before they had made their move to repair Galvatron. Maybe it was related. Whatever it was, it must be big. Soundwave joined the others in their departure from the mine. Astrotrain was among them. He had no intention of staying in the mine if there was no one around to force him. It was of no importance but it made Soundwave consider certain possibilities. First he would see what Galvatron wanted and then go from there.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

Because it was the most valuable thing on Chaar, it made sense to keep an eye on the mine. And also it was only fair to give Thrust a break because he'd been the one keeping up all the aerial patrols. Stormvolt flew low and fast over the mostly deserted landscape. It wasn't as if she had much else to do. Cyclonus had informed her that they would indeed be on Earth, but he gave no specifics. She guessed he was operating on a need to know basis and didn't think she should have any other information for security purposes. Galvatron had given a reason why she had to stay behind but had said nothing about Thrust. And somewhere below she knew Astrotrain was around, but didn't particularly care. He needed a rest too. Thrust was supposed to be keeping an eye on the mine from the ground, but she didn't think that he was very observant, as tired as he was.

The others had been gone for many hours and she'd heard nothing from any of them. She caught a faint sensor return indicating Galvatron was nearby but headed for the far side of Chaar. What was he doing back here alone? She damn sure wasn't going to call him and ask. His signal disappeared entirely for a most of an hour and then she got another weak trace of it as he departed again. Whatever he was doing, it likely made sense only to him. The flyer scanned the immediate area as she passed and picked up nothing. She broke from her normal route and headed off toward headquarters. There was always the possibility that they were back and no one had bothered to tell her. It happened sometimes. In a matter of seconds, she was there and disappointed to see that it was deserted. No, wait… _somebody_ was there. She zoomed in and saw it was Astrotrain. There was no telling what he was doing. It didn't matter. There was nothing of vital importance down there as far as she knew. He might be checking to see if Galvatron had a secret energon stash or the like. Whatever. She had found out what she wanted to know. Better get back to the patrol route.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

Galvatron was at a loss. Initially it had all gone perfectly. The Terrorcons had successfully stolen the alloy from the human scientists and he had taken it back to Chaar to store in his secret facility underground before returning to see what else they might want to help themselves to while they were there in force. Then came the news from Ratbat. Incredibly, Optimus Prime might still live. How many times did he have to be destroyed before he would stay dead? There was no way Galvatron could allow his old nemesis to return, so he had taken two combiner teams back to the laboratory with the intent of making sure the beloved Autobot leader would remain nonfunctioning for good. It had been chaos almost immediately. He had witnessed the crazed Autobots attack each other before turning on the Stunticons and Bruticus. According to Rodimus Prime, who had fled the scene with the body of Optimus, it was a highly contagious sickness. That an Autobot leader would abandon his own men made it extremely clear to the Decepticon warlord that it was not a situation to be taken lightly. As the stricken 'bots viciously attacked one another, Galvatron decided a fast exit was wise. He would get back to the soldiers he had in reserve and determine what to do then. It would be best to obliterate them, he thought. But perhaps one of the others would have an idea as to how they could use this turn of events to their own advantage. It didn't occur to him that considering the thoughts of the others was not what he would ordinarily do. In fact, none of his reactions were the way they usually were but they felt strangely normal.

He returned to where the others were waiting and no more than began to tell them of what he had seen when they were beset by the infected Decepticons. It happened so quickly that before he knew it, he and Cyclonus were the only ones left.

"I think a strategic withdrawal is in order, Mighty Galvatron," Cyclonus said, backing away from the others while keeping up a steady barrage of laserfire. He had never seen anything like it. Even the most worthless soldiers were fighting like creatures possessed, which, he supposed they might be. Nothing he did seemed to matter. He would shoot one and they would stay down for a few seconds before rising to attack again. All he could do was keep firing. They couldn't be allowed to reach Galvatron.

"No! We must annihilate them all before they contaminate us!" Galvatron replied, as he fired his fusion cannon randomly into the crowd of slowly advancing Decepticons.

"But we are badly outnumbered and they have the - " Cyclonus began, glancing toward Galvatron before abruptly lowering his weapon and suddenly leaping toward him.

At first, Galvatron thought Cyclonus was attacking him but instead, he crashed into Soundwave who had carefully outflanked them and was about to strike and infect his leader.

Cyclonus had effectively saved Galvatron but sacrificed himself. The tyrant saw the light purple form began to glow red but he didn't stay to watch the entire transformation. No. He needed to get out of here. But where to take refuge? Chaar seemed to be the only option. Possibly he could carry out a counterstrike with the uninfected Decepticons that remained there. Or the femme might be able to find some kind of cure, or at the least a way to keep any more of them from falling to what the humans were already calling the Hate Plague.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

Astrotrain was aware of the seeker's path but he didn't particularly care if she saw him or not. He was glad to be out of the mine but was getting bored. The mech had wondered about what, if any, useful items were hidden around this area but never had the opportunity to find out. With nearly everyone gone now, he could finally have a look around with worrying about getting caught. Or, rather, getting caught by anyone who mattered.

Out of habit he entered the crumbling building cautiously, glancing here and there as he went to be positive no one else was around. There were smaller rooms adjacent to the entry hall and he explored those first. Most were empty or had debris. One had a large cabinet but it was locked. For a moment he was tempted to bust into it anyway, but that might be a bad idea. If anyone asked about it later, he could blame it on the seekers, but they would stick together, and besides, that femme saw him down here. Too bad. Eventually he found his way into the main chamber where Galvatron held forth. Not much to see here. There were signs of abandoned repairs and most of the ancient clutter from the damage to the structure was removed a long while ago. In the center of the room was a raised platform with a large chair on top of it. Astrotrain began walking quietly toward it, sneaking looks all around like a kid who was planning on raiding the cookie jar. He stood at the bottom of the platform hesitantly taking one last, quick glance around before climbing the stairs and plopping himself onto the chair.

If he were in charge this would all be his. Not that it was so much, but it would be better than being nobody and made to do things like slave away in the mines. He had problems with his memory but remained able to recall the time that Megatron and Starscream were disposed of and he and Blitzwing took over. That was great although they paid for it later when their leader was free again. Too bad, but it was fun while it lasted.

Through the gaping hole in the ceiling, a pair of lights in the sky caught his attention. Someone was incoming, and fast. It figured. His fun was always being ruined. Better get out of here. The mech rose from the seat and leapt off the platform before breaking into a lumbering jog to the door. When he got back outside, it was too late to get away totally unseen. Whoever it was, they were almost there. Astrotrain zoomed his optics enough to see that it was one of the Predacons and a Sweep. The mechs appeared to be completely covered with a red, glowing substance. What the slag was that? No doubt it was the result of tangling with the Autobots again. Humans wouldn't have a weapon like that. Oddly, neither of them acted damaged, but they glowed red as if they were really hot. Yeah, maybe that was it. Now his curiosity was getting the better of him. Didn't humans have a saying regarding curiosity and cats? Who cared? Humans were dumb and he wasn't a cat. The mechs landed nearby and immediately began to approach him.

"Hey, what happened to you guys?" Astrotrain asked, barely hiding his amusement. They looked ridiculous.

"Why don't you come here and we'll show you?" The Sweep replied. His voice had a flat, inflectionless quality that instantly made Astrotrain uneasy.

"No, I don't think so," he said, backing away as they got closer.

"Join us Astrotrain," said the Predacon. It took a second or two, but then Astrotrain remembered his name. It was Razorclaw.

"Get back!" Astrotrain said, drawing a weapon. There was something really wrong with these guys and if they didn't do what he said, they would pay for it.

"Oh, don't be like that," the Sweep replied with a creepy grin. He'd never seen one of those things smile before. It was enough of a distraction that Razorclaw nearly got him when he transformed and then pounced at the triple changer. Astrotrain noticed him in time to dive sideways and escape. Then he was mad. He fired multiple shots at Razorclaw, but the Predacon easily dodged them. The shots, however, were enough to bring down a rickety tower nearby. It fell with a hollow boom that was heard a long way off.

"I told you two to back off! I guess I have to teach you a lesson now," he said, as he transformed to his train mode and attempted to run the Sweep down.

As the engine bore down upon him, the Sweep didn't try to get away. Instead he crouched with his arms out as if welcoming the attack. Astrotrain didn't think about how unusual that was because he was too angry. If he had, he would have had a chance, though slim. Just as he thought he was going to turn the Sweep into scrap beneath his heavy wheels, the other mech sidestepped and instead of punching or grabbing him, merely ran his hand along one side as he passed. Astrotrain switched back to robot mode, angrier than before. Blech! How dare that abomination touch him like that? When he got a hold of him he was going to…. And that was his last coherent thought before madness consumed him.

XxXxX

From his position at the opening to the mine, Thrust heard the fall of the tower. What was that? As far as he knew, there were only three of them on the entire planet. Was someone attacking their headquarters, unaware that it was empty? It wasn't far enough away that getting to it would give him navigational troubles. Stormvolt was patrolling the corridor around the mine and would see anyone approaching it so he didn't have to be concerned about that. Additionally, he was bored. He had taken a short recharge and was feeling more functional. Yes, he would see what the disturbance was. The seeker launched himself skyward but didn't transform. Until he saw what was going on, he would be very quiet. No sense in giving himself away.

Ravage peered around a giant boulder sunk into a nearby hillside. He was supposed to be keeping an eye on the femme, but that was hard to do when she was flying around at speeds far exceeding his own capabilities. Soundwave had left him there with his orders to stay out of sight but make sure nothing happened to Stormvolt. There was a strong possibility that she was still required for Megatron's full restoration to be successful and so it would be best to have added protection. He would be more effective if no one knew he was there. It was what he was best at. Observing silently and in secrecy. Because he couldn't follow, he'd been forced to listen for her and time how long it took for her to make a circuit of the route she was following. He had become slightly concerned because her last pass was taking longer than usual, but then she had registered with his audio sensors. The same noises that Thrust noticed hadn't escaped him either, and he wouldn't have been that curious about it if not for the nagging feeling that something wasn't right. He wasn't a telepath like Soundwave, but he had a sort of indefinable (to him) link to his team leader and it felt off. Truthfully he had felt rather strangely for the last few hours. Was it related? He would follow and find out.

XxXxX

Thrust lightly touched down near the fallen structure, glancing about for the cause of the damage. He saw no one around and turned his attention back to the debris. Like most things on Chaar, the tower was decrepit. Did it fall on its own, unable to support its weight any longer? He studied the base more closely and noticed black marks that had not been there before as best he could recollect. As he got closer he saw that they were laser burns. But who would have - ? The thought was cut off as a large, red hand fell on his shoulder. Remembering what happened before when someone snuck up on him, he spun around to be greeted by Astrotrain, a Sweep and Razorclaw.

"Welcome to the club, Thrust," Astrotrain said.

True to his nature, Ravage stayed out of sight instead of wandering out into the open, and he was glad of it. There was an elevated outcropping that overlooked the area and he reached it in time to see Astrotrain put his hand on Thrust and for the seeker to begin glowing a brilliant red like the other three Decepticons. What was this? By merely touching Thrust, they had passed along their condition to him. But what was their malfunction? He immediately remembered the information Soundwave had given to them before being called on this mission. Was that it? Had exposure to the mysterious signal finally driven them to this condition? As far as anyone knew, the Sweeps hadn't been affected by it. And no one had seen enough of the Predacons to know if they had either. But what if that wasn't the way it worked? What if the signal imparted a kind of virus in certain Decepticons and they were able to pass it on by simple contact with others who were otherwise normal? Perhaps the Sweep and Predacon had been okay and then Astrotrain had infected them. But Astrotrain was fine earlier. He wished he had gotten there sooner. What if he was wrong and this was another problem entirely? And what if Soundwave had it too? He suddenly feared that he was correct and it was the reason for his unease. But that was jumping to conclusions. Before he could calm himself his sensors alerted him to the approach of another 'bot nearby. There was no one else left which meant it had to be the femme. He had to get to her before she became like the others. He silently but quickly slunk away, focused on getting to Stormvolt's coordinates as soon as possible. Above, more glowing red shapes approached.

XxXxX

Holding her airspeed slightly below supersonic, the femme soon reached the segment of the route nearest headquarters again. This was extremely dull. It certainly wouldn't hurt to expand the circuit a little for variety. Ever since the discussion with Cyclonus she had taken care to use every scanner at her disposal and as she was considering how boring it all was, they suddenly came to life with advisories of incoming objects. The signatures indicated 'bots, but they were scrambled and irregular to the point that she wasn't certain they were Decepticons. She called Thrust to see if he knew anything about it, but received only static and screeching feedback in return. Crap. If he was down in the mine and the signal booster wasn't working he'd never hear her. Oh well, she'd see to it herself. But carefully. Her systems told her where the weird signatures came from and how far out they were. It wouldn't be hard to circle around and sneak up on them. She was being paranoid, but better to be safe than blown to pieces. The femme transformed and used the silent antigravity to maneuver herself into a position on a low hill nearby. There were shouts and the sound of laserfire. What the hell was going on down there? She lay down flat on the ground and gradually squirmed her way to the top of the hill, taking care to stay behind rocks and a portion of a mostly gone foundation.

It was an all out brawl and if not for the way they were all glowing bright red, Stormvolt wouldn't have given it a lot of consideration. With their goal of infecting Astrotrain complete, the mutual cooperation quickly broke down. As she watched, more Decepticons arrived. A Sweep, who appeared totally normal, touched down and upon seeing the condition of the others tried to escape but was closed in by more arriving mechs. Among those were Scourge, Soundwave, and the other Predacons. They immediately set upon the unfortunate Sweep. Before she'd been curious and mildly concerned, now Stormvolt was downright scared. One of the Predacons (she didn't know his name) grabbed the Sweep and in seconds he was glowing red like the rest of them. For a minute there was calm and then another fight broke out. What was wrong with them? Obviously it had to do with the red glow. And it made them even more violent than usual. They were shooting and fighting hand to hand with no discernible method.

And where was Cyclonus? There was no sign of the Constructicons, Combaticons, Stunticons or Galvatron, either. Was there some chance that Vortex, Motormaster and company were responsible? Did the weapons provided by the Quintessons include mechanical germ warfare materials as well as cannons? If they had gotten to Galvatron, what did that mean for Megatron's recovery? This didn't look like something even he could overcome. Galvatron was only in her mind momentarily. Her worry for Cyclonus quickly displaced him. If those fucking wastes of space were responsible for this and had harmed Cyclonus, she would personally burn them to subatomic particles. Oh yes, they would suffer long and hard. But wait. She didn't know anything for sure. Calm down. Think. As she got herself under control, there were still more arrivals. So much for calm. It was Scourge, Shockwave, Blast Off and…Cyclonus. And they were all afflicted. A mixture of fear, sadness, disappointment, anger and desperation made it feel like her spark nearly went out for a second or two as she watched them land and join in the fray.

Son of a bitch. What was she going to do now? She wanted to help (if they weren't beyond it) but if they saw her, she would undoubtedly be chased down and contaminated with whatever that red glow was. And where could she go? Blast Off's presence seemed to argue against her theory of Combaticons and Stunticons causing it but what if his having it was an accident? Maybe she was wrong and the cause was something else totally. Did the Autobots have this same problem? Hell, for all she knew _they _were behind the whole thing. As she wrestled with her confusion, a low growl came from the rocks behind her. She'd know that sound anywhere. It was Ravage and he'd gotten the drop on her. Shit, it was too late. But she wouldn't go easy. The femme suddenly flung herself to the side, rolling onto her back and attempting to take aim with a cannon. Ravage was crouched low, but he didn't leap away or try to attack. With relief she saw that he was his usual self and not glowing.

"Damn it, Ravage, you almost scared me to death!"

He didn't respond with words but growled quietly and sat down.

"Did you see those guys? I don't know what's up with the red glow, but it's contagious. I saw them give it to a Sweep," Stormvolt said, relieved to have at least one ally in this growing disaster. The mechanoid cat approached and leaned a shoulder toward her, ejecting a chip from it like the one Soundwave had used to record the processor in her head. The seeker took it and viewed the contents, which showed Thrust being ambushed by Astrotrain.

Ravage didn't know who "they" were. He had only witnessed Thrust's conversion. As Stormvolt watched that event replay, Ravage crept up to view the new arrivals. He was his usual detached self until he caught sight of Soundwave. No! This could not be! The telepath was engaged in combat with Razorclaw. How dare that filthy Quintesson creation attack his leader! He would personally claw out his optics and tear his head off. Ravage crouched and was about to leap out of the hiding place to help Soundwave when he was suddenly grabbed in an unyielding grip and yanked backward. He thrashed back and forth as hard as he could, trying to dig in with his claws and to bite.

"Ow, stop it!" Stormvolt said between the clenched plates that served as her teeth. "You can't help him like that. You'll just become like them and then who knows what'll happen?" The sharp claws dug into her armor leaving shallow grooves, but she clamped down harder on him and tried to subdue him with her weight, angry in addition to scared.

"If you don't quit right now I'll fucking bend your rear actuators, and then what'll you do?" She said, switching the grip of one hand to one of his back legs and squeezing as a warning. She didn't want to hurt him, hell, she _liked _him, but he was going to get them both killed or at the least, diseased. "I promise I'll try to fix them, but I'm going to need help. C'mon, Ravage you know I mean it."

The cat gradually stopped his violent struggling. He knew she was right. Even as a puny human, her word had been good. In this case it likely applied to both the threat and the promise. And what other hope did he have?

"If I let go, are you going to cooperate?" She asked.

Ravage growled and remained still. Stormvolt hoped it was a "yes" as she slowly released her hold. He moved away and sat down, staring at her.

"I wish I had a clue about what it was or where it came from. It doesn't look like anybody is immune," she said quietly as the two of them went back to watching the others. "We need to get out of here. If they find us, we're screwed. Maybe the _Vengeance _is the place."

Apparently she did not have the same idea as he did regarding a possible cause. But then, Soundwave didn't tell her everything. She was correct, he thought. She _would _need help.

"If it's still there and none of these guys have gotten to it, that is," she went on. "I haven't seen Galvatron yet. He and the others may be there. Yeah, let's go to the ship."

That wouldn't do at all. Who cared if that's where Galvatron and the others were? What good were they? But for the two of them, the smartest of the Decepticons were down there fighting one another. No, they needed to go somewhere else entirely. He whipped his head from side to side.

"No? You don't like that idea? Do you know something I don't?"

Ravage bobbed his head in the affirmative as he had seen her do.

"Okay, where then?" She feared it would turn into a game of charades before she got an answer out of him. She was very, very wrong. He glared at her, optics burning a bright crimson, and then did something quite shocking and unexpected. Stormvolt would never forget it.

He stopped growling and spoke one word in a raspy voice: "Unicron."


	41. Free Will

Author's Note: This chapter is shorter than normal. It's one of those that you need the information in it but I didn't think it belonged with the last chapter or the next so it's all on its own. Back to the normal length next time. This contains a little segment with two lines of dialogue from The Return of Optimus Prime Part 2 written by Marv Wolfman and Cherie Wilkerson. As always, thanks for reading and commenting and favorite-ing. It is much appreciated. Transformers belongs to Hasbro and Takara, not me.

A Blessing and A Curse  
By: Quetzal1

Chapter 40  
Free Will

"_Don't go up there. It's dark!" – Bugs Bunny_

XxXxXxX

"Unicron?" Stormvolt asked when the shock of finally hearing the cassette's voice wore off.

Ravage bobbed his head again rather than speaking.

"Why there?"

The cat growled at her. This wasn't the time and place for a lengthy explanation. He got up and slunk back the way he came before pausing to glance over his shoulder at her. If she didn't join him, he would go on his own.

"Yeah, okay. I guess you can explain it on the way there," she said, remembering to keep her voice down and glancing at the others. They continued to fight and, lucky for she and Ravage, it seemed that none of them had thought to scan for the rest of those who remained on Chaar and had yet to be infected. Had they forgotten? Best to get out of here before one of them remembered. But it was hard to tear herself away, despite knowing that if Cyclonus caught sight of her, there wouldn't be much chance of escape. Actually, no chance would be more accurate. The chases they engaged in during her training were not forgotten and although Stormvolt had improved since then, she did not want to put those abilities to the test. Fortunately, she was probably the last thing on Cyclonus's mind at that minute. He was grappling with Rampage and it was taking a while for him to eventually gain the upper hand. When he finally succeeded in throwing the Predacon off and into a Sweep and Blast Off, he crouched, ready to take on the next attacker. But then he stopped, remaining totally motionless and staring off in a direction opposite of where Ravage and Stormvolt were hiding. One by one, the others stopped too and looked off into space. Stormvolt saw nothing and her sensors drew a blank. What did they see? Was it a mass hallucination? Even more strangely, Cyclonus and Scourge were suddenly conferring instead of trying to kill each other. Whatever they were discussing didn't take long.

"Decepticons, follow me!" Cyclonus commanded and then leapt upward and transformed, with Scourge and the Sweeps close behind.

"Let's get out of here while we can," Stormvolt said, keeping low to the ground and squirming backward through the dust, away from the edge of the hill. They got to the bottom and were well screened from the low valley, but it was almost completely deserted now. Speed was critical, there was no question there. It had occurred to both of them that there was a chance the condition was progressive and could worsen or become lethal.

"How do you feel about being a passenger?" Stormvolt asked. "It won't be too weird for you will it?"

Ravage swung his head back and forth. He wouldn't care for it, but his minor discomfort was inconsequential. Soundwave came first.

"Alright, let's go." It may not have been the most graceful catch in history, but it was effective and soon they were underway. The femme had never had a passenger and found it a bit distracting. Her presence had never seemed to bother Skywarp and if she did this a lot, as with anything else, she'd likely get used to it. Ravage had opted to transform also because it enabled him to adjust his size, allowing him to fit into the cockpit more easily. In his jaguar form it would have been a very tight fit.

"So tell me why Unicron. What's up there?" Stormvolt asked. She waited for him to speak but instead Ravage transmitted a data stream. Decoding took only a fraction of a second and then she had the answer.

"Wow. The signal comes from Unicron and you think it's why some of the others went stupid?" She asked. It made sense to an extent. Those of Unicronian origin appeared unaffected by it, but everyone else was susceptible with a few exceptions. For instance, why not Soundwave? Did his telepathic abilities protect him in a way they were unaware of? She herself was a weirdo hybrid, which could be why she wasn't affected. The Combaticons and Stunticons had a certain degree of Earth origins in them and they didn't behave in a way that was quite as dumb as the others, although they weren't completely right, either.

Ravage streamed a response in addition to his own theory about a virus.

"Interesting," Stormvolt replied. "I wonder if the Autobots are having the same problem. Do you think that someone not exposed to the signal first would catch whatever that glowing is if one of the others touched them?"

He didn't know, but doubted the Autobots were responsible in any intentional way. They didn't have it in them to release a virus upon their enemies. Furthermore, Soundwave's analysis indicated that the pattern of the beam would have been directed at Cybertron at least part of the time if it weren't shut down.

"Huh. Maybe they generate a kind of shield from it with all their planetary defenses and sensors. Or maybe not. I don't know. And screw them anyway. We're in it for our side and that's all." Of course, if the Autobots did have the virus or whatever it was, she supposed they'd have to be fixed too otherwise they'd simply reinfect everyone. Fixed. Yeah, right. This entire Unicron trip might be a big, fat detour that led nowhere.

They encountered no one and it didn't take long to arrive at their destination. The giant head made Stormvolt uneasy. She had never been very close to it, let alone inside. She stared at the empty optic sockets. Anything or anyone could be in there, never mind that the head itself was possibly still alive. It had tried to use Starscream (or his ghost) to get a body, after all, and it was transmitting a beam that may or may not be making most of her faction mentally deficient. Would it defend itself? Only a moron would assume that it would not.

She shut down her engines and drifted toward Unicron, trying to scan for the presence of anyone else. The open space around them was clear, but the head generated far too much interference for her to determine if it was empty of other 'bots. The interference confirmed that alive or not, there was certainly _something_ going on in there.

"Okay. This is it. Prepare to disembark," She said, and then opened the canopy. The lack of gravity allowed Ravage to float out and away from her before transforming and propelling himself with fans. Stormvolt followed suit. Now the head loomed even larger. The optic sockets or the gaping mouth were the easiest ways in. If it were constructed like the rest of them, its "brain" would be closer to the optics. She started forward and then stopped. This was worse than any haunted house. Ravage, noticing her hesitation, turned and growled at her as he transmitted another data stream. It wasn't like receiving a voice transmission from one of the others. It was more like a text message but faster. She didn't have to actually read it, the information was instant. Ah, the benefits of being a machine. The message was full of annoyance and impatience.

"The word you're looking for, Ravage, is 'chicken' not 'cowardly domesticated avian creature.' And I am not," Stormvolt replied. Or was she? For a second she wished that Megatron still resided in her head. If he didn't know what to do, nobody did. But no, that was taking the easy way out and it wouldn't do. _You've wanted to go on missions and to have your mind be totally your own. _She thought. _ Here you are. Now what are you going to do with it?_

"Let's go, but keep your optics open."

XxXxXxXxXxX

Galvatron landed on the desolate surface of Chaar, tired and unsure what to do next. He had managed to make a clean escape as far as he could ascertain. Instead of returning directly to the planet he went from one place to another on Earth until he finally lost the others and he didn't run into anyone from either faction on his way back. There was only one small consolation in all of this. Optimus Prime remained dead. True, the Autobots had recovered his body, but it wasn't as if any of them were in a condition to restore it. Perhaps in their rage they would completely destroy the remains. But then again, _he_ still survived which meant it wasn't guaranteed that all the Autobots were afflicted.

There was no sign of Thrust, Astrotrain or Stormvolt. Did they get word of the plague and flee? It would not come as a shock if the first two did, but he felt sure the femme had not. She had been loyal thus far and would have displayed craven tendencies long before this. After a few seconds of thought, Galvatron decided that it was conceivable that she and the others were aboard the _Vengeance_. The last time he'd spoken to her was on the ship and he had commanded her to "stay here" so possibly she had taken his command literally. Galvatron engaged his communicator to call her and received only static. Curse this entire situation! What to do now? He looked about and realized the entrance to his underground lair was near. That wouldn't be a bad place to wait this out if the condition was only temporary. And if it wasn't he would be safe there with many obstacles between himself and anyone who tried to reach him while he recuperated and plotted what to do next.

As he turned and began to take a step, he felt a faint trembling in the ground. It became stronger and stronger. No way was he going to wait around and see what it was. Galvatron crouched and was about to launch himself skyward when several laser blasts flew by, barely missing him. It was a gang of Sweeps. They flew in a tight formation, trying their level best to blast him. How dare they! Galvatron transformed and managed to take out the lead ship. The shot didn't do much. The ship flew sideways for a moment, trailing smoke and then the entire group transformed and continued to fire.

He had to escape! Galvatron ran, awkwardly twisting around to return fire. It was during one of the shots that he saw the source of the vibration in the ground. The Predacons had merged into Predaking and were headed his way. He saw the head of the combiner as it came over a nearby hill. Galvatron ran down into a shallow valley and attempted to take refuge behind a rock formation. It was too late when he realized that he had given the others the tactical advantage of having the high ground. They had only to surround him and it would all be over. Predaking stopped at the edge of the slope and stared down at him.

"Well, well. What have we here?" Cyclonus asked as he walked out from behind Predaking to survey the situation.

"Looks like something the cat dragged in," Scourge added as he joined them.

Galvatron considered ordering the traitors to surrender, but that would be futile. Reason would not work here. Instead he fired on them.

Cyclonus and Scourge returned fire and Predaking broke down into Predacons and the entire group began to advance. Galvatron ran and fired, finally becoming cornered at the base of a tall cliff. He would meet his end or become infected. To him, there wasn't much difference and it enraged the tyrant further. He continued to return fire and was shocked to discover more combatants entering the fray. He thought at first it was an optic malfunction but it wasn't. It looked like… Autobots. Could this situation get any worse?

XxXxXxXxXxX

Ravage went first. He didn't wait to be asked, it was simply his area of expertise and he acted accordingly. There was no one better at reconnoitering an area unseen to determine if there was anyone else sneaking around and what they were doing if they were. He couldn't imagine why someone would be in there, but given all that had transpired so far, it wouldn't surprise him to find something else far out of the ordinary.

Stormvolt followed closely. She tried to scan for everything she could think of but being inside was worse than outside as far as the interference went. Damn. Anything could be hiding around a corner in here and you'd never know. Or alternatively, there was nothing at all. They couldn't be constantly jumping at their own shadows and she attempted to ease her nervousness with reason. Suppose that Unicron did still function on some level. He must be pretty bad off to have to resort to bribing ghosts or whatever Starscream really was when it happened. That would suggest he wasn't a _huge_ threat. He was just a big, disembodied head who was, for whatever reason, bombarding Chaar and the immediate area with a signal that may or may not be the cause of their problems. She walked quietly, casting glances around as she went. Merely because she thought he wasn't much of a potential threat didn't mean it was true. Goodness knew she'd been wrong plenty of times before.

The passageways were cluttered with debris from Unicron's inner workings. There were chunks of bent metal lying around like the remnants of a car crash. In one corner a giant gearwheel was imbedded in the floor up to its hub. Adding to the eerie atmosphere were huge cables draped from unseen points in the ceiling. Several of them were broken and hanging down like giant vines. The femme carefully avoided touching any of it. Wouldn't that be the ultimate in irony? Survive everything up to now only to be wiped out by a monster charge from one of the cables. She had yet to spot much that looked useful and nothing so far looked like what was causing the signal.

_Ravage, do you see anything?_ She transmitted internally. He did not. The cat had encountered much the same conditions as the seeker. Although there was…something. For a fleeting microsecond he thought he caught a familiar scent. His olfactory sensors didn't detect it again. Was it a glitch? Being this close to the source of the signal might be having an effect on him, but he would be on alert for it now just the same. Until he knew something definite, however, there wasn't any point in mentioning it. Nothing he observed indicated any recent visitors, but that wasn't a good enough reason to drop one's guard. He would return to Stormvolt's general vicinity and help to locate the source of the signal and then act as a hidden sentry while she destroyed it. He easily backtracked and then picked up her trail. When he found her she was standing in front of a large console intently watching a monitor. He sent a quick data stream.

_Hey, you're back. Do you have any more of those chips I could borrow? _She asked, ignoring his question.

He did and could easily spare them, but he was curious as to why she wanted them.

_I've found something here and it might be huge. _She didn't take her eyes off the monitor when she addressed him. It was kind of rude but her attention was completely captured by what she saw.

XxX

She had located the area by chance. The room was full of more debris and damaged components but something caught her optic as she picked her way through the mess. A panel had fallen from somewhere and came to rest on a console. Her vision would have swept right over it if not for the light flickering off the backside of the panel. What was this? Most of what she had seen thus far wasn't working, but here was a part that was clearly operational to an unknown extent. She gently removed the panel and saw a monitor that was dark but for the yellow type that was scrolling up in a continuous stream.

It was the names of various 'bots. Cybertron was the last planet Unicron had attacked before he was destroyed, and evidently, he had downloaded that information and more from the systems of his victims. If all this was here then perhaps the information she had long been curious about was here too, and it could be taken and used to help the situation. There was a panel with various markings. It wasn't in Cybertronian, but it was distinctly similar. Stormvolt was reasonably sure she could figure it out and what if she didn't? They would not be any worse off than they were before. She read over the buttons carefully and repeatedly and then gently tapped a few. The scrolling stopped and the screen blanked except for one word blinking slowly: QUERY_: .

After a brief pause she entered MEGATRON and then waited. Suddenly the screen was full of rapidly scrolling information and a smaller monitor beside it came to life. It startled her to see the image of Megatron enveloped in a red beam that suddenly became green. His expression was angry at first, which wasn't unusual. Then he stopped struggling and appeared calm, almost resigned, as his chassis seemed less solid, similar to an x-ray image. He began to glow and was obscured by a purple covering and when it receded, he was Galvatron. Whoa. The image stopped as the coding, or whatever it was, continued to roll past. When it stopped the screen blanked and then read: THUNDERCRACKER.

XxX

She paused the readout and hurriedly searched for a place to insert one of the chips. If she was correct, the information was the programming and perhaps memories from his victims. What would she do with it? That was hard to say, but it would be crazy not to retrieve it. Megatron/Galvatron acted as though he had the majority of his old programming but she would copy it anyway as soon as the finished with the others who definitely retained nothing of their old lives. There were no slots that accepted the chips. Shit! But why would there be? It wasn't like Unicron was truly one of them. Stormvolt considered it for a moment. She'd have to do this the roundabout way. She collected the chips from Ravage and placed the first one into the reader beneath the armor on her arm and then entered the commands that would record the coding as she viewed it on the screen with her right optic. The left would be taken out of that loop so as to observe the other monitor to see what happened. Once everything was in place, she clicked a button and waited.

Lines and lines of code raced by on the screen and the image began to move on the other. The view shifted from Galvatron to Thundercracker, Shrapnel and Kickback. Though she knew what their ultimate fate had been, it was still unsettling to see them like that, especially Thundercracker. His pale blue form was battered and limp and his optics were dark…. And something was wrong here. As the familiar shape metamorphosized into that of Scourge, the image froze and pixilated, went to black and returned with the two Insecticons having been made into Sweeps. When the image stopped and then the coding for Shrapnel and Kickback came up and began to flash by, Stormvolt realized what was amiss. Thundercracker was blue and the Insecticons were black and purple. When a Transformer was dead he or she became colorless, turning various shades of gray. None of them were devoid of color, which meant they weren't dead, at least not technically. Perhaps they were in stasis lock, a state much like comatose for a human. When one was damaged badly, stasis lock occurred to preserve what little power remained and to prevent further damage until repairs were made. Of course if repairs didn't take place, death was next. Had that been the case for her best friend as well? She impatiently watched as the coding was recorded. It finally reached the end and she paused it again in order to change out the chip, which was close to full. SKYWARP blinked on screen in yellow. This was it. She would now find out for sure what happened.

The images on the screen began to move again, showing Skywarp and Bombshell. Like the others, both retained their coloring. She felt her internal systems speed up as she watched them begin to glow, Skywarp a split second ahead of Bombshell. Yes! Now she would know for sure. And if she somehow cured the sickness and returned Cyclonus to normal, she could tell him that Galvatron was wrong, that he wasn't just a reanimated carcass. She leaned forward eagerly and watched before the image froze and then went to black.

"Oh come on, you piece of shit!" Stormvolt grumbled, banging her hand on the console. She finished downloading the coding information and then tried to see the images again with the same results. The picture cut out in the same place on every viewing. It must be permanent damage. And there was no audio to go by, either. Well, there remained comfort in the fact that Cyclonus wasn't a "zombie," not that she had ever thought of him that way. And she was closer to knowing who he really was. Although, if any traces of his old personality remained, they leaned more toward Bombshell. Better get a move on. She still needed Megatron's info and then they had to knock out whatever was generating the signal.

She removed the chip and inserted the last one, wanting Megatron's information separate from the others. The change replayed again and it was no less amazing to behold. Stormvolt hoped that this wasn't all an effort in futility. Maybe there was some way to use the information to fix their current problem. Of course if there was, she didn't know what it would mean for the others whose information she didn't have. The coding was about halfway finished when a bright flash went off in front of the femme, temporarily overwhelming her optics exactly like a human with a flashbulb. At first she thought the console had malfunctioned but even with the interference a fast analysis told her no, it was something much worse. She'd been fired upon and was in the open with no cover. Was it Unicron acting in a last ditch effort at self-defense?

"Oh, did you need that? Too bad," a smug voice said. Stormvolt recognized it immediately. So full of contempt and anger, it was hard to forget. Chromia.


	42. WWMD?

Author's note: This chapter borrows some history from the episode Dark Awakening written by Antoni Zalewski and Galvatron's part of the plotline from The Return of Optimus Prime Part 2 written by Marv Wolfman and Cherie Wilkerson. There will be a tiny bit more next time (I was off in my chapter count. This one would have come in at 12,000 words if I'd kept going, so I decided to just make a separate chapter. Sorry.) But then that's it and we're away from the cartoon aside from possible historic references. I hope you like it. Transformers belongs to Hasbro and Takara, not me.

A Blessing and A Curse  
By: Quetzal1

Chapter 41  
W.W.M.D.?

XxXxX

"Identify yourself, Decepticon," another female voice said brusquely. So there was more to deal with here than just Chromia. Wonderful.

Her optics equalized and Stormvolt found herself in the open with an Autobot on either side. She had never seen the other femme before but the Autobot insignia was partially visible on the pink paint when she leaned outward from her hiding place. Her head was framed by spiky armor and she acted like the one in charge, all business. Instinctively, upon hearing the voices, Stormvolt had raised both arms to point in their general direction. Her weapons were trained on them but they had the advantage of partial cover. The pink femme was around the corner of one wall, with only part of her head and an arm holding a blaster visible. Chromia was behind a huge tangle of crumpled pieces of metal and cables, a triumphant smirk on her faceplate. This day was on the way to being the title-holder for worst ever. The console had a big charred spot in the middle and was spraying sparks. Fortunately she'd gotten the bulk of her information, but still. What gave them the right to attack her when she wasn't doing anything to them?

"Her name's Stormvolt," said Chromia. Elita hadn't given any orders to fire upon the seeker when they discovered her, but it was obvious that Stormvolt was eagerly obtaining some kind of information from the remains of Unicron's systems, and Unicron combined with Decepticons could only mean big trouble for everyone else later. And Chromia would be lying if she said that it didn't give her a huge feeling of pleasure to blast whatever information the 'Con was getting right out from under her.

"I've heard about you. You're the new one aren't you?" The pink femme asked. It sounded like a demand instead of a question. It had been her intent, upon discovery of this Decepticon, to merely watch her and see what she was doing, but Chromia had unfortunately decided to take the initiative before she could transmit instructions.

Stormvolt had an instant, strong dislike for the new femme and not merely because she was an Autobot. No. Part of it was that attitude. Barking out questions and acting like she was the one running things. Guess again. _You have me out in the open_, she thought, _but if I cut loose with lightning in a room that's all metal like this one, you'll change your tune in a hurry._ The problem was that she would undoubtedly take damage herself from their lasers and she couldn't chance it yet. It would be a last resort. She had to protect the potentially valuable information in her possession and retrieve what remained of Megatron's if it wasn't destroyed. Additionally, they had yet to find and destroy the source of the signal. These idiots were wasting her time. It was a relief that they didn't seem to notice Ravage who was standing in the shadows beneath the console.

"And you are?" Stormvolt asked, without answering the query.

"I am Elita One."

_Elita One_? My, but didn't that have a strong air of self–importance. Of course she probably didn't pick her name any more than the seeker had chosen hers, but nevertheless it had a sense of superiority about it that immediately annoyed the Decepticon.

"Hmmm," Stormvolt said flatly, conveying that she remained unimpressed. Provoking them was risky, but if they were pissed they would be more focused on her and less apt to notice anyone else. It was the best idea she could come up with on such short notice. They simply couldn't discover Ravage until he was in a position to help her and it was too late for the Autobots to stop him.

"Show some respect, Decepticon! You are speaking to the commander of the female Autobots," Chromia said.

That explained the name. Maybe the "One" part was like "Prime." Or maybe it was the "Elita" part. Whatever. It looked like Chromia had already taken the bait and was becoming more agitated. The smirk was gone.

"Yeah, commander of the female Autobots, which _I_, most assuredly, am _not_. So excuse me if I don't fall all over myself in adoration. And what's up with you femmes having your own forces? The mechs don't think you're good enough to fight with them?" Stormvolt asked.

"No! That has nothing to do with - ,"

"That's enough," Elita interrupted. She didn't know if the seeker was deliberately taunting Chromia or not. It was hard to tell since nearly every Decepticon behaved in the most offensive manner possible. Chromia was on a hair trigger lately. Although she was an excellent shot and a fierce fighter, her behavior was becoming more erratic. Elita knew that these two had nearly tangled before and she was worried that she might not be able to keep her comrade reined in much longer and her escalating temper furthered that concern.

"We femmes were on Cybertron as a separate unit during the Great War and no one saw any need to change that when the war ended," Elita said calmly.

"Oh? Why were you left there instead of being brought to Earth?" Stormvolt asked. She was genuinely curious. What was there to do on Cybertron? The planet was, for all intents and purposes, out of energy sources and under Decepticon control. Why not go to Earth and join the fighting once they knew the others had made it there and could use the help?

"Optimus Prime ordered us to remain there and we continued our campaign to harass the Decepticon forces."

Stormvolt nodded. In the millions of years the others were missing in action, this ongoing 'harassment' did nothing to advance their cause. And then the others turn up again but didn't call home for reinforcements? She knew first hand that they needed all they could get and yet they didn't bring in the femmes, which suggested…. "He thought it was too dangerous for you didn't he?" She asked.

"Our operating procedures are of no concern to you, Decepticon," Chromia said. Neither of the Autobot femmes felt obliged to inform her that although initially Optimus considered the mission to find an energy source for Cybertron too dangerous for them, they remained on Cybertron by choice once contact between the groups was re-established

Stormvolt knew what Chromia looked like, and from what little she saw of Elita, it appeared that she was much the same. Both had those sleeker, smaller builds that strongly resembled a human, complete with structurally weak points. Further, if she used Chromia as a guide, they didn't seem to possess built in weapons but instead used hand held blasters. But they must have skills of some kind or they wouldn't have survived this long. If their leader felt that direct involvement in combat was too dangerous for them, there must be a reason for it. Was it a robot version of sexism? But she didn't see how that would work. Or maybe she was entirely wrong. It appeared to anger Chromia and keep her distracted regardless.

XxX

Ravage watched the exchange from the deep shadows beneath the console. Why were these Autobot femmes here? Like Chaar, Cybertron may have been overrun with plague infected 'bots, which would prompt the need for a hiding place. But that didn't feel right to him. Autobots usually put up a struggle in any situation no matter how futile. It was peculiar that they would give up and hide. No, they must be there for another purpose, but what? Could they have also detected the signal and come to investigate? Ravage stood and eased himself backward beneath the console. The backside of it was open and it would allow him freedom to get to a better position. As he silently withdrew, his olfactory sensors picked up the scent again, only stronger, and there were other, similar ones mixed with it. Ah! Now he knew what the Autobots were doing there.

XxX

Stormvolt was trying to get a plan of action together when a data stream interrupted. The information was surprising and it completely changed her thinking. There had to be a way to use it. One obvious alternative presented itself and it would be extremely effective. However, there were loose ends, and the simple fact that she wasn't crazy about the first part. But then again…. No! She couldn't ponder and waffle back and forth like she usually did. A decision had to be made and fast. Megatron had employed almost the exact same strategy she was thinking of once, long ago, and it had worked beautifully. If following his example troubled her conscience she'd worry about it later. Right now they were in an extremely tight spot and the use of ruthless cunning and treachery would settle things heavily in their favor. She was a Decepticon and everyone she cared about and their entire faction were in grave jeopardy. She would not let simply let them suffer or die just to satisfy an abstract concept. Perhaps later she could redeem herself, but right now, this was no time for honor.

_I'll keep these two busy and you go get 'em. But make sure you do not cause any harm whatsoever, okay?_ She transmitted. Ravage agreed to avoid it as long as it remained feasible to do so. It wasn't the most reassuring of replies.

"What brings the two of you here? Did your little germ warfare experiment backfire?" She asked, watching the pair closely for any hesitation or reaction that indicated guilt.

"_Our_ experiment?" Elita asked.

"Hey, _we_ didn't release this menace."

"Likely story," Chromia said.

"Let's hear her out," Elita said, and then stepped out from around the corner. Chromia followed from the other side. Both of them kept their weapons aimed at the seeker and she did likewise.

Suckers. Stormvolt sized them up, and it verified the earlier assessment. She was certain she could take either one in a fair fight but now it was Cyclonus's teachings that came to mind. _Never underestimate_. She had the advantage of size, weight and sturdier construction, yes, but they would most certainly be faster and have knowledge of hand to hand combat that worked with their smaller stature. Furthermore, there wasn't a lot of open space for her to move around. The key would be getting only one of them to charge her. Elita was obviously the more cautious and levelheaded. It would have to be Chromia. She had drawn her into a fight once already with minimal provocation and was already on her way to doing it again. Yes, the pale blue femme would be the target.

"It's common knowledge you Autobots hate us," she said, specifically directing her comments to Chromia. "So it makes perfect sense that you would finally come up with a way to wipe us out." It was already apparent to her by their previous reactions that this was not true – at least the part about the wiping them out- but such comments would go a long way toward angering her intended adversary. Autobots got pissy when you suggested that they were capable of anything the least bit underhanded.

"You are mistaken. We don't know what the cause of the plague is, but it originated on Earth as best as we can tell," Elita said.

"Earth? Don't insult my intelligence. It all fits too neatly." Earth, eh? That would be a place to start when they got out of here, unless these two were lying. Did they have information about the waves? "First you try your signal and then when that failed or wasn't fast enough you saw fit to try to kill us with some disease."

"Signal? What are you talking about?"

"Don't bother trying to reason with this one. She's obviously burned out her logic circuits ages ago," Chromia interrupted.

"Nobody was talking to you," Stormvolt said.

"I don't need your permission to speak," Chromia replied.

"I don't know what you've discovered but we've been busy rebuilding Cybertron and haven't been trying to do anyone any harm," Elita said, attempting to diffuse the rising tension.

"Unlike you Decepticons," Chromia added.

"For now we can see to it that she doesn't cause any trouble until the outcome of the plague is settled," Elita said.

"Oh cram it, won't you?" Said Stormvolt. Such arrogance! As if she would surrender to an Autobot just like that.

"What's wrong? Being a prisoner doesn't agree with you?" Chromia asked with the smirk again.

"Prisoner? Try again. Does the word 'standoff' mean anything to you?"

XxXxXxXxXxX

Galvatron found it difficult to believe what was happening despite having agreed to part of it. Somehow, through all the chaos and violence and destruction, the Autobots had managed to bring Optimus Prime back from the dead. How this was accomplished, he had no idea, but he wanted to find out. Now all of them were far beneath the surface of the tiny planet enroute to Galvatron's hideaway. They saved him from the other Decepticons but not out of the kindness of their sparks. They had another reason entirely for coming to Chaar. It involved the metal he had stolen from Earth, but Prime was being cagey and wouldn't tell him the specifics. It didn't matter. He would find a way to force the information and then act accordingly.

Thus far they had survived a second attack from the infected Decepticons and also an encounter with a large Chaar spider. The beast had come close to eating one of the Autobots and Galvatron was disappointed when he escaped. Unbelievably, there was a human with them. She was affiliated with the laboratory that produced the stolen alloy. His enemies apparently had a never-ending supply of the disgusting creatures. They finally reached the secret stronghold. Galvatron would let them enter and allow them to think they were getting what they wanted but he had other plans.

XxXxXxXxXxX

Ravage moved silently, but quickly and with purpose, closing in on his prey. His olfactory sensors told him he was going in the right direction and was getting closer. Oh yes, the Autobot femmes were hiding something: humans. In this environment they would have to wear exosuits and occasionally the suits had to vent because of the biological creatures' endless conversion of oxygen to carbon dioxide. When the pressure released, it took their scent with it. They were secreted in an out of the way area. It was a good attempt but not nearly good enough. He was very near his target now and edged closer to the wall, the gloom concealing him entirely as he advanced.

There were few things he enjoyed more than creeping up on unsuspecting victim, though he did prefer that it was something more challenging than mere humans. He heard them now, their voices rendered punier by the communication devices built into their suits. Ravage saw light glowing dimly around the corner. Unlike a 'bot, they would need light as their feeble optics were rendered practically inoperable without it. He noiselessly approached the corner and peered around it, dimming his optics in case one of them was actually observant.

XxX

"I'm starting to get a little worried," Carly Witwicky said quietly to her husband.

"They _have_ been gone awhile, but they're probably just being thorough," Spike replied, speaking as quietly as possible to avoid distressing their son, Daniel, who was nearby and absorbed in checking out his surroundings. "You know how Elita is," he added. Carly nodded.

After Hot Rod became the new Prime, Daniel didn't see him often and as a result, made new friends among the Autobots and had stronger ties with his old friends. He hung around a lot with Wheelie and Blur, but he was especially close with Arcee. That led to their becoming acquainted with all of the female Autobots, particularly Elita One. It was easy for Spike and Carly to see how she and Optimus had gotten together.

_Optimus, _Spike thought. That was another troubling development. Before the plague had reached Cybertron, there were reports regarding their fallen leader. And if he was disturbed by this information, he couldn't imagine the way Elita must be feeling. No one knew how, but a group of humans had come into possession of his remains. Rodimus didn't give them all the details on that before he and others went to retrieve Optimus and that was the last anyone heard from them before all hell broke loose. How did they get him? Everyone saw his ship get blown up by the star. Spike was still haunted by his last encounter with Optimus Prime and wished he could forget it. He didn't want his last memory to be of the events that had taken place in the Autobot mausoleum but wishing wouldn't change it. Daniel, naturally, was upset by it for a while but he eventually got over it, or seemed to. Children could be remarkably resilient. Everything was an adventure at that age, and their boy had certainly had his fair share already.

Elita One and the other femmes had come charging into the facility housing the offices and quarters for the ambassadors from other planets and their families with orders to evacuate. Moonracer, Firestar, and Arcee took the other ambassadors and their families who were there and left. Fortunately, there were no council sessions in progress and many were back on their home worlds. They were all aware of what was happening with the plague, thanks to regular updates from Earth Defense Command, but the speed which with it spread caught them off guard. During the scramble to get away it was decided that the interior of Unicron's head would be the best place to hide until they figured out what to do next. The other femmes had gone elsewhere so they wouldn't all be in one spot. Thus far, it had gone reasonably well. No one else was here and Unicron didn't take any action against them. They moved back from the entrance to a secluded spot where it was improbable that a casual visitor would discover them. The Autobot femmes were uneasy because interference was making it all but impossible for them to use their sensor and scanner arrays. Occasionally, for scant seconds at a time, they could get a reading. It was during one of these brief periods of clarity that Chromia thought she got a return indication. Both she and Elita felt that it was most likely nothing but they weren't quite willing to take the risk presented by not investigating further.

Daniel knew his parents were getting concerned. He was a kid but he wasn't stupid. He could tell by the way they spoke in quiet tones. They did that whenever they didn't want him to hear what they were saying and become worried too. It was silly. He knew that the femmes had been gone for long time. It didn't necessarily indicate a problem. They may have found something interesting and were busy with that. He knew from his own experience that there were all kinds of things to see in here. Thank goodness it wasn't like the before when Daniel and a group of Autobots had managed to infiltrate Unicron's interior and then successfully rescued Spike and Bumblebee and the many others who were captured (Or would eaten be a better word for it?) Rodimus had used the matrix to blow the planet-eating monster to pieces. Now Unicron was dark and quiet. And it was creepier than when he'd been alive. What was keeping Elita and Chromia? He would take a quick peek and see if he could spot them. The passageway they used to leave the area was long and dark. He wouldn't see them if they were more than twenty feet away, but it was better than standing around waiting.

"Daniel, don't wander off," Carly called.

"I won't, Mom. I just want to take a look out here," Daniel replied. She worried too much, he thought, stepping out into the passage. Yep. He couldn't see a thing beyond the doorway. That made it all the more startling when the red optics illuminated right in front of him at eye level.

"See anyth- ," Spike began, but stopped and watched in horror as a portion of darkness shot forward and grabbed Daniel before he could run or even make an attempt at it. The boy screamed and struggled. The darkness came closer and took on a shape that Spike was painfully familiar with. Daniel was firmly clamped in Ravage's jaws and the Decepticon growled at them menacingly.

"You let him go this instant!" Carly shouted in fear and rage as she moved closer to Spike and clutched his arm.

The cat cocked his head to the side as if to ask "Or what?"

"Dad, help me!" Daniel cried. He couldn't get loose no matter how he struggled.

"Listen to me son," Spike said, trying to calm the boy. "Don't squirm around like that. You don't want to damage your exosuit." He plainly saw Ravage's sharp teeth indenting the surface of the suit already.

But he wasn't crushing Daniel. If he wanted him dead it would have happened already, wouldn't it? He could not recall a single instance of the cat engaging in the taunting of an enemy. Usually he went about his business with a terrifying single mindedness. Spike had been Ravage's target enough times to know. "Try to be calm. I don't think he's going to hurt you."

"Are you sure?" Daniel asked, already settling down a bit. He trusted his father's word implicitly.

"Yeah."

Having had enough of the humans' interaction, Ravage turned away and walked back out the area. He wasn't running. That furthered Spike's suspicion that the Decepticon wanted Daniel for something and was taking extra pains not to hurt him. More likely, one of the other, higher ranking 'Cons wanted him and that most definitely did not ease his mind.

"Let's go," Carly said, fiercely, pulling at his arm now instead of squeezing it in fear. "I'm not letting him out of my sight as long as he has Daniel."

They ran out into the passageway and saw that Ravage didn't have too much of a lead on them but they didn't want to lose him in the twisting passageways that ran throughout Unicron's head. As they followed, Ravage stopped and turned to glare at them. If not for the lights built into their exosuits, they would have seen only his crimson optics in the darkness. He turned and began walking again in an unconcerned fashion. The weak humans were of no concern to him. He had what he came for. By capturing the youngest human he and Stormvolt would have the entire party of interlopers at their mercy. He wondered if the seeker was carrying out her part with any success. It was a good plan and he was surprised she had concocted it. Not because it was good, but because of its heartless nature.

XxXxXxXxX

"I know the word, but there are two of us and only one of you," Chromia said.

"And I have a cannon for each of you," Stormvolt replied humorlessly. "I don't really fancy getting shot and I know that neither of you is faster than lightning."

"What do you hope to gain by this?" Elita asked.

"I'd like to finish up what I came here to do and then get out, but you've already made part of that impossible."

"We aren't going to allow any such thing. Nothing you Decepticons do means anything but misery for the innocent," Chromia said.

"You certainly have a flair for the dramatic," Stormvolt said to Chromia and then returned her main focus to Elita. "Well, then, I guess we're going to stand here until one side or the other runs out of power. There's too much static for you to call for help," Stormvolt said, watching as the two Autobots glanced at one another. "Or, we could settle this the old fashioned way."

XxXxXxXxXxX

That mechanical abomination Sky Lynx still had his fusion cannon and his attention did not waver, Galvatron noticed, as he stole another furtive glance at the Autobot. He hefted the last piece of the alloy and started walking to the spot where Optimus waited in his vehicle form. If only he had known what the capabilities of the metal were before now, he could have protected himself from the plague AND deprived his enemies of any benefit. Apparently the humans' alloy could be melted and then applied as a protective coating to repel the disease affecting them all. Optimus was planning to cover himself in it and then attempt to resolve the situation. There was no question he would make good on any promise to try to correct the problem, but what if he failed? What if he was overwhelmed by his own soldiers, and they destroyed him by other means? Then the alloy would be gone and he would have no way to protect himself. Galvatron felt his rage building and tried to calm down, not finding that unusual in the least and not knowing that the inside of his cranial chamber was now cobwebbed with the filaments from the additional processor. They were slowly gaining a foothold, manifesting their presence with imperceptible changes.

The last piece of the metal fit in the trailer with much room to spare. So much for that. Now what would they do? Leave him there surrounded by infected Decepticons? They would if they were smart, but he suspected that fool Optimus would ask him to join up with them, at least temporarily. It wasn't such a bad idea. While he was among the Autobots, perhaps he could find something to use to his advantage. If there were any healthy Decepticons left here they would have to continue to fend for themselves until this disaster was resolved.

Turning away from Optimus, he saw the flesh creature approaching. Bothersome things though they were, if not for her blunder he still wouldn't know what they intended to do with the alloy… but it didn't quell the urge to stomp on her. Whatever he expected to happen next, it wasn't a glowing Cyclonus leaping out from a hiding place and grabbing the human, who almost at once was glowing like him. That was finally enough to distract Sky Lynx and Galvatron did not waste the opportunity. He charged forward and kicked the Autobot, causing him to drop the fusion cannon. Galvatron quickly fastened it back to its proper spot and then leveled it at Cyclonus.

Cyclonus was unfazed. He batted the human aside and stood, addressing his leader with a ragged voice that was far different from his usual tone. "Join us, Galvatron. JOIN US NOW!"

Things happened fast after that. He fired the cannon and hit Cyclonus dead on. The shot knocked him backward and down, but Galvatron suspected he wouldn't stay there long. He took the opportunity to turn and begin firing indiscriminately in order to get any others who tried to creep in. In doing that, he totally forgot the human until he felt a light touch on his lower leg. He turned and saw Jessica Morgan smiling dementedly up at him. He tried to sidestep her but it was too late. All his plans dissolved as the plague enveloped him.

XxXxXxXxXxX

"What are you proposing?" Elita One asked.

"You heard me." Stormvolt replied.

"I did, but I do not understand the term 'throw down.' "

"What it means is that I'll fight one of you. No blasters. No cannons. If your side wins, I'll come along quietly. If _I _win, the two of you will back off and let me do what I need to do."

Elita One considered the idea. It seemed straightforward enough but that was the problem. Was this Decepticon that confident in her own ability or was it a trick? And what was she so keen on accomplishing if they left her alone? It had a bad feeling.

"I'll take that offer," Chromia said, grabbing her weapon by the barrel and holding it out to Elita. She didn't have to be asked twice.

"Notice that I could have blasted that stupid pastel paint off both your skins right now if I'd wanted to," Stormvolt said, lowering the cannon that had been pointed at Chromia and hoping the show of good faith would sway Elita. The Autobot had to be suspecting sneaky motivations.

"No, Chromia. I'll do it." It was the only way to end the standoff. They couldn't wait out the Decepticon and their charges couldn't stay out in space with nothing between them and oblivion but exosuits.

"You can't. You're too valuable and the hu…the _others_ need you." Chromia argued, still trying to get her commander to take the weapon.

Stormvolt maintained a focused expression. It wasn't difficult because she already knew their secret. Chromia had nearly said "humans." She had hoped the pale blue Autobot would be the one to take the challenge. It was easy to anger her, thereby making her more prone to screwing up in her overzealousness. But she had to remember not to discount either of them. Obviously Chromia had a plan already or she wouldn't be so eager. Elita One reluctantly took the weapon from her second in command. It looked as if the exchange was ending. Chromia turned and regarded her with a smile that was anything but friendly.

"Now we can finish what we started on Cybertron. Or perhaps to say _I'll_ finish what _you_ started is more appropriate," Chromia said.

"Bitch, please," Stormvolt answered with amused disdain. All the better to anger her adversary with.

The Autobot femme considered it peculiar that the 'Con used so many unusual words and terms, but it didn't distract her for long. "Are you going to do something about those cannons or are you too scared to face me on equal terms?" She asked.

"What's wrong? Don't you trust me?" Stormvolt asked, innocently as she reached up and unlatched each cannon, swiveling them around until they faced backward. They were deactivated in that configuration, but the tasers remained operational.

"That's a stupid question, but then I'm not surprised," Chromia replied, crouching and beginning to move in a wide counterclockwise circle. Stormvolt didn't bother to reply but kept smiling benignly as she mirrored the Autobot's actions and turned in one spot. She didn't know what Chromia was capable of. In such a situation it would be better to let her make the first move.

Chromia gradually edged closer as Stormvolt patiently waited for her. The Autobot leaned in slightly and feinted at punch with her right. As a flyer, the Decepticon was acutely aware of distances and she didn't flinch. Her opponent wasn't anywhere near close enough for a punch to be effective but then she followed it up with a high kick that nearly caught Stormvolt on the chin.

"You're going to have to do better than that," She said, quietly. Acting on pure reflex had saved her but that was way too close. Those kinds of mistakes got you killed. It wouldn't happen again.

"Can't wait to get scrapped can you?" Chromia replied.

"What, someone's going to take your place and fight for you?" That caused her adversary to frown.

"Don't underrate me, Decepticon scum."

"Name calling, Chromia? I would expect better than that from one of the vaunted Autobots. And you don't even do _that_ well, you miserable excuse for a warrior. If I were the Prime, I'd leave your pathetic asses on Cybertron too."

Elita looked on from a far corner. The Decepticon had her back to her, blocking most of the view, but she saw her comrade around one wing. Chromia was angry now. Elita only heard part of what they were saying and couldn't see Stormvolt's expression, but it appeared that she was baiting Chromia. She watched the first serious attempt at a strike. The Decepticon easily dodged it by stepping back and sideways.

The blow could have been painful, depending on where it landed, but there wasn't a seriously damaging amount of force behind it. Of course, if she took enough of them in the same spot where the metal was thin, like a wing, it wouldn't be good. Chromia came near her again and tried a left uppercut. Stormvolt blocked and then deflected it as the Autobot moved back. After all the days spent around Galvatron and being on guard for any of his random strikes, this was nothing. Chromia may as well have told her what she was going to do before she did it. That didn't stop her from trying again. It was another left uppercut and the instant it was blocked, she immediately followed up with a hard punch straight into the overlapping, flexible sections of metal that began below Stormvolt's chest plate.

"There! Is that more what you had in mind?" Chromia asked.

"Better, but there's room for improvement," Stormvolt replied, running a hand over the area to make sure none of the plates were dented enough to bind and impede her range of motion. They weren't, but it annoyed her that the Autobot had scored the first hit, though it didn't amount to much.

They continued in this fashion for several minutes. The confined area made it much easier for Chromia to dart in, throw punches and get back again. Stormvolt blocked numerous hits and got in a few of her own, but it was difficult to skirt the many obstacles on the floor and not catch a wing on a wire or other blockage hanging down from the ceiling. She had some superficial dents but began to behave as if she was hurt more than she was.

In an attempt to press her slight advantage, Chromia rushed in again. Stormvolt was ready and they grappled before the Autobot attempted to kick her adversary, but was then jerked forward to receive a head butt. As she staggered back, optics temporarily scrambled, Stormvolt moved in and punched her squarely in her midsection and then kicked her in the shoulder when she bent forward from the second blow. It was her first real fight, and to her surprise, she discovered that she kind of liked it. There was no need to hold back or worry about inflicting too much damage. In fact, it was taking a lot of willpower to not fall on Chromia and beat her into component parts. Under other circumstances, she might actually do it, but it wasn't supposed to be to the death and it needed to go on until Ravage got back. The interference within Unicron didn't affect communication much when they were close, but the farther away they were from each other the harder it was to transmit clearly. The cat wasn't close yet or he would have sent another data stream advising her. She watched as the Autobot got to her feet again.

"So you're going to fight dirty, huh?" Chromia asked, rubbing her shoulder and moving her arm around to ensure the joints still functioned normally.

Until now, Stormvolt had never fought anyone hand to hand other than Cyclonus, and dirty was the only way that worked against him. It never occurred to her that these methods would be found objectionable. Too bad. She would do what needed to be done by any means necessary and if Chromia didn't like it, she could surrender. "Quit whining. The only rule was one of you and no weapons."

"Fine. If that's the way you want it." And then the Autobot suddenly ran forward and leaped into the air, coming at her feet first. A direct hit in the head from that would cause a lot of damage, conceivably enough to take the seeker out completely. Stormvolt dodged by leaning back as if doing the limbo. Chromia flashed by overhead and tucked into a ball when she hit the ground. She rolled then crouched and turned in almost one smooth motion before launching herself off a wall and back toward her enemy. She dove at her head, hands out in front of her like claws, aiming right for the optics.

Stormvolt thought that Chromia had the advantage of speed, but holy shit, not by that much. She couldn't duck again and it was happening too fast for her to get out of the way entirely but she knew what to do. The ceiling was too low for flight but there was a tangle of pipes and cables there. Hopefully she could pull herself up and far enough out of the way to escape. She leapt upwards but not fast enough.

The impact was deafening in the small space. Stormvolt caught hold of a pipe overhead and tried to pull her legs up but was caught at the knees and pulled loose by the Autobot's momentum. Locked together, the pair plummeted down and into the scattered pieces of debris. As they fell over a crumpled ball of metal, Stormvolt pulled her legs up bringing Chromia with them and the two femmes rolled a distance before coming to a stop. Cyclonus would have been proud. It was exactly what he had done in their training, and like him, his pupil was now sitting on her opponent, though not without taking more hits in the process. Unfortunately, the Autobot had no wings to pin down and was thrashing around as hard as she could. Stormvolt was able to use her greater weight advantageously now.

"Stop it!" Stormvolt said, as the Autobot squirmed and thrashed beneath her.

"Slag off!" Chromia replied. One arm was pinned so she used the other in an attempt to puncture the thin metal skin on the Decepticon's wing.

The seeker hissed in pain but didn't budge. "You're going to regret that. But remember, you brought it on yourself."

Chromia struggled as Stormvolt caught the free hand and forearm before yanking savagely down and around on the hand, nearly tearing it off. It didn't bring her any particular pleasure as the Autobot cried out, but this act of revenge didn't trouble her conscience at all. She released the hand that was now dangling only by wires and hydraulic lines, and then pinned the arm it was attached to beneath her knee. "Do you yield, Autobot?"

"Never!"

Stubborn idiot. The seeker balled her hand into a tight fist and then swung it backhanded into the side of Chromia's head like a hammer. Sparks flew as metal ground into metal.

"How about now?"

There was no verbal response but the Autobot glared up at her with such an expression of defiance the answer was clearly "no." Stormvolt punched her in the face, twice, with two quick jabs, but not with all her strength. One of Chromia's optics began to flicker. The blue lens was cracked. Her struggles were growing weaker.

"Yield. Do it, or I'll keep going," Stormvolt warned.

A thin trickle of energon was running down from the corner of the wounded Autobot's mouth. Her circuits were abuzz in an unsettling manner and it was hard to think. But of one thing she was certain: Chromia would not yield to the enemy, not even if it meant her life. She couldn't believe she'd been dumb enough to get lured in by the taunts and comments and then tricked into thinking she'd really damaged the Decepticon so quickly. Her anger had gotten the better of her, and instead of fueling her fierceness, it had worked against her and made her rush in without thinking. She had failed her leader and the humans they were supposed to be protecting. To compound this humiliation there was also the fact that honor bound Elita One to the terms of the agreement. It was obvious that she was beaten. Some of the leaking energon pooled in her mouth and she took careful aim and spat it directly into Stormvolt's face.

Struggling tremendously against the urge to tear the femme's head off, the seeker said nothing as she calmly wiped away the fluid as carefully as possible. She paused briefly and then sprang to her feet, seizing her enemy by the armor and slamming her into a nearby wall. Chromia's legs buckled but then she caught herself, leaning against the wall with her uninjured hand. Stormvolt advanced, waiting for an attempt at retaliation. When none came she roughly grabbed the Autobot and threw her into a pile of debris. Why wouldn't she give up? There was no fun in whaling on someone who couldn't or wouldn't fight back. It didn't matter because it wouldn't go on much longer. A data stream advised that Ravage was near.

"How about now?"

"You are going to have to destroy me, Decepticon." In some ways declaring her intentions was a relief. This femme could do what she had been considering for many cycles but ultimately didn't have the internals to do herself: send her life force back to the Well of All Sparks. She could finally be free of the endless conflict between the factions and the misery that was life without Ironhide. Maybe they would be reunited.

"That wasn't part of the agreement," Stormvolt said, bending down and dragging the other femme up again. This was getting weird. It was like Chromia wanted to die. If that were true, it wouldn't be by her hand. Not today. That was all she needed to add to her ever-growing list of offenses. Perhaps more persuasion would remove her obstinacy. "However, I can continue to beat the hell out of you."

"No! This ends now! I yield on her behalf," said Elita One.

"I don't think that's the way it works."

"You will cease your actions or I will be forced to take measures against you." And with that pronouncement, Elita pointed both blasters at Stormvolt.

"See? I knew you Autobots couldn't be trusted, so we were forced to take extra precautions," The flier said, turning Chromia and placing an arm around her neck in the classic hostage restraint position. It wasn't restraining her as much as it was holding her up. Instead of a gun, Stormvolt held her left hand beside the femme's dented head. A long, white arc of electricity danced between her index finger and thumb. "Pay attention because here's what's going to happen. Ravage is going to come in. You won't try anything. If you do, not only will your friend here get it, but Ravage's new buddy will too and then we'll both destroy you and anyone else who gets in the way. Got it?"

"What have you done?" Elita asked, but deep down she already knew.

"I'll show you. But first, put those blasters on the floor and slide them over here."

Elita complied with the order and then waited expectantly.

"Ravage!" Stormvolt called. "It's secure!"

The mechanoid cat walked in carrying a human boy the seeker hadn't seen before. He casually crossed the room and then sat down beside her. Spike and Carly ran into the room shortly thereafter and were stopped cold by the sight before them.

"Now, we're going to take the boy with us and go finish our business. You four are going to go over there and sit by that wall. When we get back, I'd better see all of you right there or else the boy is toast. The same thing will happen if anybody decides to be clever and tries to set a trap. You act right and no one else gets hurt, agreed?"

"Whatever you're planning, you won't get away with it," Carly said.

"Are you going to cause trouble?" Stormvolt asked, as she shoved Chromia toward Elita and then spun her cannons around to the correct position before crouching to take Daniel from Ravage's jaws.

"No," Spike replied. "Please don't hurt him."

"Am I talking to myself? How this ends is strictly up to you," she said, glaring down at Spike. His earnest expression triggered her memory. "You look familiar. Who are you?"

"I am Earth Ambassador Samuel Witwicky."

Witwicky. She knew that name and then it clicked. "Spike?"

"Yes."

She stared harder at the woman who had practically threatened her. "Carly. How about that."

Evidently Spike hadn't remained oblivious to her efforts to attract his attention.

Carly didn't reply. She'd probably said too much already. It wasn't unusual that this Decepticon knew who they were. The identity of off world ambassadors wasn't a secret. The part that got her was the way the femme addressed them like a person meeting a long lost acquaintance.

"And who are you?" Stormvolt asked, holding the boy up at optic level. She kept her grip as light as possible without dropping him. From this height it would kill him the same as squashing him.

"M-my name is Daniel," he said.

"Well, Daniel, mind your manners and everything will be fine."

"Yes ma'am."

"Don't call me that."

"Sorry."

Stormvolt collected the weapons and stood. "Get moving. I don't have all day to screw around here," she said.

Sam and Carly quickly moved to the wall. Elita One took longer because she had to help Chromia, who was hardly able to walk. Her legs weren't damaged much but the many blows to the head had caused multiple problems. Her equilibrium circuits were among the first things affected. Upon reaching the designated spot, she was quickly lowered to the floor where she lay down. Elita kneeled down next to her damaged friend and was quickly joined by Carly.

"Attend to her, but do not attempt to involve me in any way. I will not help you." Seeing Carly reminded Stormvolt of her own method of escape from Autobot headquarters when she was captured as a human. No way was she going to fall for the same tactics. The captives glared at her but remained silent. Her refusal of help was no more than they expected from the likes of a Decepticon. With one last glance over her shoulder, Stormvolt and Ravage left them.

_Ravage, do you have a way to home in on the signal? If we have to search room-by-room we'll be here for ages._ Stormvolt transmitted. She watched as Ravage sat down, staring straight ahead as he made the necessary adjustments and calibrations. It was a swift process and he was quickly on his feet again and moving in a graceful lope. They encountered a passageway that split in two different directions. Despite the adjustments, there remained a degree of trial and error, evidenced in the way Ravage led them down the left hand branch of the passage before turning back and taking the other route.

As scared as he was, Daniel's curiosity wasn't entirely stifled. "Are you guys looking for something?" He asked hesitantly. He didn't know this femme and didn't want to make her mad. Her faceplate had a permanently angry appearance as it was.

"Yes. We're trying to find whatever's generating a strange signal and shooting it at Chaar. You don't know anything about it, do you?" Daniel involuntarily held his breath when she turned her green, down-slanted optics on him in a piercing stare.

"No. We're here to get away from the plague."

"You're sure about that?" She asked. Intimidating a child wasn't anything she took pleasure in, but if it made things go quicker, then she'd do it and feel bad later. And child or not, he was the son of an ambassador which meant he may have heard things. Adults had a way of speaking about subjects in front of kids and assuming the information wasn't absorbed just because it wasn't of interest to a child. He didn't reply, but instead nodded.

"You didn't overhear your parents or an Autobot mention a weapon they were using to make we Decepticons turn dumb?" Stormvolt asked, holding Daniel up to optic level again.

"No. And Autobots don't do stuff like that anyway," he replied. He could have told her that all the 'bots he knew felt the majority of Decepticons were plenty dumb as it was, but he knew better than to do that.

Stormvolt glared at him a couple seconds longer. He looked right back at her, obviously afraid. "You know what will happen if I find out you're lying to me, right?" She asked, giving him a gentle squeeze. It was not a proud moment and had to be a new personal low. She had stooped to threatening a little kid. Shit.

"I'm not lying. I'd help you find it if I could," he replied.

"That might be wise of you. Whatever it is, it's pointed at Cybertron too. Have you seen any of the Autobots behaving strangely?"

Daniel thought about it. He had seen some strange things, but as far as he knew, his friends were all acting the way they always did. Except for whatever this new disease was. "Everybody was fine until the Hate plague."

"Hate plague?"

"That's what they're calling it on Earth."

"I see." That further confirmed what Elita had said about the origins of the disease. Yes, she would go to Earth as soon as the signal generator was destroyed. If it came from there, then perhaps the answer was there also.

"And we can't go there because humans can catch it too."

"What?"

"Yeah. Everyone's got it. Autobots, Decepticons, _and_ humans," Daniel said, and he thought the Decepticon muttered something that sounded suspiciously like the f-word before she started walking again, but he must have misheard.

Stormvolt moved fast to catch up with Ravage as she contemplated the situation. Humans were susceptible? That didn't bode well for the theory of the mystery signal causing the problem. And if it affected both biological entities and 'bots, she had absolutely no idea of where to begin. With a programming virus she at least had a ballpark to start in. Now she wasn't even in its parking lot. But hey, this was a kid she was dealing with and it would be a grave misstep to base her actions or pin her hopes entirely on his word.

The passageway slanted uphill and wound around several sharp curves before ending in a large chamber. Beyond the debris and machinery was an immense opening indicating the other eye socket. Ravage was in a far corner snarling at a large box with conduits leading upward out of sight. A recessed panel in one side had two rows of blinking lights and a third that was dark. Stormvolt approached it, glancing all around in anticipation of a trap or self defense mechanism. The buttons didn't have labels. Who made a machine with buttons that had no labels? Who the hell cared? It was going to be destroyed anyway.

"Is this it?" Stormvolt asked.

Ravage sent his reply.

"Okay. Stand back." She did not intend to receive any self-inflicted damage and it would be safer for Daniel. They re-entered the passageway. Stormvolt extended an arm through the doorway and kept as much of herself behind the wall as possible. A volley of purple laserfire blazed out from her left cannon and blew the signal generator into a collection of melted, smoking fragments. "Did that take care of it?" She asked Ravage. It did.

"Ma'am?" Daniel said, sounding agitated.

"My name is Stormvolt, not 'Ma'am'." She looked at him and saw that he was staring back down the hall from where they had come. What now? She peered in the same direction and immediately began to back toward the doorway as panels in the floor slid out of sight and a mass of _something _came out and toward them. That was when Ravage started to snarl behind her, taking a defensive posture as he edged _away_ from the same doorway. The femme glanced in his general direction and beyond him saw floor panels in the room they had just left began to slide back out of sight exactly like the ones in the hallway ahead. Thick, squirming cables streamed from the openings and began blindly snaking their way towards them.


	43. Don't Call It A Comeback

Author's note: There are some plot points from The Return of Optimus Prime Part 2 written by Marv Wolfman and Cherie Wilkerson. But this is the last time. In the next chapter we're off into uncharted territory. Some of you have been waiting a long time for what happens in this one. I've introduced a couple of new Decepticons this time. Remember how in the old cartoon in the early episodes there were a ton of unnamed seekers standing in the background? I'm going to make use of that here by adding two. One is Mindwipe, who I picture as the Revenge of the Fallen version, (as far as his alt mode) not the Headmaster version. (Remember, I'm not using that part of the cartoon, because I hated it and thought it really sucked for many reasons.) The other is Cloudburst. I pictured him as a seeker who was extremely trigger happy and is so named for his favored method of attack which involves carpet bombing with incendiary devices which would look like a big, exploding cloud of fire on the ground. I had him all figured out before I discovered that there was an Autobot pretender with that name. Since I'm not using any of the pretender bits either, and seldom have Autobots in this, I'm keeping the name. Please excuse this bending of the rules. Thanks for reading and commenting and favorite-ing and also for the C2s. Transformers belongs to Hasbro and Takara, not me.

A Blessing and A Curse  
By: Quetzal1

Chapter 42  
Don't Call It A Comeback

Ravage paused his retreat to slash and claw any cable that got too near. They were trapped. Stormvolt looked out into the room again. There was a giant opening in the backside of the room, but the cables were coming out of the floor the entire way. In the hall the depth was greatly reduced. They would stand a better chance of going back the way they had entered. The tentacle-like cables were long enough to reach the ceiling, eliminating the use of antigravity to make a quick escape. Why wasn't anything ever easy?

A cable rose up and darted at the seeker. She grabbed it and gave it a quick shock to see what would happen. It whipped back and forth within her grasp before withdrawing. Curiously, it just wasn't that strong. Judging from its size, she was expecting to barely be able to keep a grip on it before she shocked it, let alone after it was hurt. Ravage occasionally pinned one down by standing on it and he didn't struggle a bit. This might not be that difficult after all.

"_I think we can get through the hall,_"she transmitted to Ravage, not wanting Unicron to overhear them if he was indeed responsible and it wasn't an automated security system. _"They aren't very strong. Maybe Unicron's running out of juice. It has to happen sometime."_

As if testing the theory, and ensuring that everything thus far wasn't a fluke, Ravage leaped forward, catching a cable in his jaws. He yanked backward on it, and it struggled, but he was stronger. He finally let go when part of it ripped loose.

"Let's go." She brought the fist clutching Daniel up next to her shoulder for extra protection. "Hang on, kid," she said, before wading into the mass of cables. The Decepticons fought their way through, unleashing a torrent of laserfire and physically ripping the bundles of wire apart when necessary. It took a couple of minutes, but they got through unscathed.

"That was close," Daniel said appreciatively.

"Quite." Stormvolt replied, not bothering to tell him it wasn't difficult. Best not to get chummy with the human. Let him tell everybody about it and add to any scary reputation she was building.

The seeker engaged all her sensors and every scanner array. A few of them gave inconclusive returns, their signals blocked by the structure and normal interference, but others were working at optimal levels. What a relief. It wouldn't be too cool for all of this to have been for nothing. However, it didn't answer the question of what it was and if Unicron did it on purpose. It seemed entirely too convenient for to be a malfunction that simply happened to work out the way it did. But did it matter at this point? "C'mon. I want to be rid of you and out of here," she said. That suited Daniel fine.

"Who dares attack me?" An extremely deep and slow voice asked. It was all around them and Stormvolt felt it vibrating in her armor and heard Daniel give a low moan of fear. It could only be Unicron. He sounded awfully imperious for someone who didn't put up much of a fight. Unless that was a ruse and he had another plan.

"Attack _you_? You're the one bombarding us with some kind of weirdo signal," Stormvolt said.

"From your belligerence, I will hazard a guess that you are a Decepticon."

"Yes I am." _Guess_? Couldn't he see them? "What about it?"

"How did you discover my efforts?"

"So you admit it, huh? We're not all as dumb as you like to think." Right, like she'd tell him how they found out, allowing him to hide the next attempt better.

"You didn't answer my question."

"I'm not going to, either."

"How did one so bold and clever end up following the likes of Galvatron?"

"What's your problem with Galvatron?" He wasn't going to distract her with flattery.

"Galvatron is my creation and he betrayed me. His destruction and that of his followers is the penalty for such disloyalty."

_Yeah, and I bet he'll want to have a word with you about being your creation, especially if the repairs took hold,_ She thought.

"What were you doing? Making us all stupid until we self destructed or killed each other?"

"I know of Galvatron's malfunctions. Cyclonus would follow him to certain death out of loyalty while forcing Scourge and the Sweeps to do likewise. The others, however, could prove problematic, therefore I took measures to nullify them."

Ravage continued to snarl and for several moments it was the only sound.

"I have other matters to attend to, so if you'll excuse me…," Stormvolt said, when it appeared that nothing else was going to happen.

"One such as yourself should have greater aspirations than following a wreck like Galvatron."

"Like what?" Oh, here it comes.

"Assist me, and I will make you ruler of the entire galaxy."

"What do you want me to do?"

"You must succeed where Starscream failed. I require repairs to my optics and then I must merge with Cybertron in order to regain a body."

Ha! Not fucking likely. Even if she were stupid enough to fall for this, what if he caught the plague too? As a head he was a much smaller threat than if he were his old self. The idea was ridiculous.

"No. You would destroy us all."

"You are wrong, Decepticon."

"Forget it." _And besides, you probably don't have much a shelf life left when Megatron is back and I tell him about this_, she added silently. Well, if he was still alive and uninfected. "Let's get out of here, Ravage."

"You will regret this." Unicron was finished with them for now, but he was nearly as old as the universe itself. He could wait for a new opportunity.

Stormvolt didn't bother to respond and was immediately on the alert for another attack. None came. He must have worn himself out with the last one. It was an unexpected stroke of luck and they would be smart to make the most of it.

XxX

Knowing exactly where they had to go shortened the length of their return trip considerably. Out of habit, the Decepticons moved quietly and this proved beneficial.

"I mean it," boomed a voice that clearly belonged to a mech. "If you don't tell me what you're doing here, I'm going to start blasting." They knew that voice.

Stormvolt transmitted instructions to Ravage and then squared her shoulders and strode purposefully into the room where she'd left their prisoners. It was yet another gamble. She knew Blitzwing wasn't the brightest and hoped that her appearance would throw him off balance enough to enable a discussion before any more violence broke out.

"No one's going to blast my prisoners except for me, Blitzwing," she said.

"Who in the Pit are you?" The mech said, turning to face her. "And how do you know my name?" Standing behind him were two others. Stormvolt had not seen them before but they were obviously seekers. Neither of them made any threatening gestures and were merely interested in what was happening.

"I am Stormvolt, and I make it my business to know all I can. What brings you back? Didn't Galvatron kick you out?"

"He did, but I am sure he will allow me to return when I tell him what I accomplished."

"And what's that?"

"That information is for Galvatron alone. Where did you come from? There aren't any Decepticon femmes."

"Obviously you are wrong. And if you really want to know, you can ask Galvatron all about it." He wasn't the only one who could be evasive.

"Where is he? We've already been to Chaar and it's deserted. We came up here because we saw flashes and thought maybe there was a fight. And what are these Autobots and humans doing here?"

"So many questions. These Autobots ambushed me when I was trying to get information from Unicron's systems. The flashes were laserfire from fighting off Unicron when he attacked while I was destroying a transmitter that has been sending strange waves to Chaar."

"What sort of waves?"

"It's a long story."

"What about Galvatron?" One of the other mechs asked. He was a deep green that appeared black at first with silver trim and his robot mode was a little different from most seekers. A jagged weld mark ran across the armor on his chest plate.

"Who are you?" Stormvolt asked.

"I am Mindwipe," he said, and then gestured toward the other seeker, that one a gray color. "This is Cloudburst."

"Greetings."

"We were stationed on a far outpost in space. It is not uncommon for communication from Cybertron to be very infrequent. Usually it is via courier. We were unaware of Unicron's attack and the aftermath until Blitzwing arrived."

"I see." Wow. These guys had missed a lot, and if they only knew what they had wandered into, they probably would never have left their outpost. But they had to be warned. "You three have picked a hell of a time to come home."

"What do you mean?" Cloudburst asked. His voice was rough and it reminded Stormvolt of Starscream only not screechy. Like his compatriots, he was sporting some scrapes and a minor dent.

"It's complicated. Let's get out of here and back to the Vengeance. I'll tell you all about it there."

"The Vengeance?" Mindwipe asked.

"It's a ship," said Blitzwing. "Why are we going there?"

"Because we'll need it and also because, other than here, it's probably the only safe place left. I told you, I'll explain everything."

The three mechs glanced at one another uncertainly. "What about the prisoners?" Blitzwing said.

"Wait here and keep an optic on them. I'll be back in a minute," Stormvolt said.

She quickly made her way back to the console. The big, burned spot looked worse than before now that she saw it up close. The monitor that showed what must have been playback from Unicron's memory was black and a big crack zigzagged across the screen. The other that had shown the coding had only a blinking cursor. A hesitant tap at the remaining functional keys did nothing. She tried each button that was undamaged but the blinking cursor remained, causing her to slam her free hand down on the panel. That fucking Chromia! She ought to go in there and fry her to a molten puddle. No, calm down. All the really important information was saved. Not that Megatron's wasn't, but when the extra processor did its thing, he would regain all his memories, hopefully. As she went back to where the others waited, she glanced at Daniel who wisely chose to remain quiet, despite having numerous questions. He was watching her warily but didn't behave like he was particularly traumatized. If his parents were anything to go by, he'd likely be fine.

"Well?" Blitzwing asked.

"Let's go," said Stormvolt.

"And the prisoners?" Mindwipe asked.

"We don't need them."

"That's what I was waiting to hear," Cloudburst said, pointing his shoulder-mounted lasers at the Autobots.

"No! Hold your fire!"

"What? You just said we don't need them," Cloudburst said.

"Yes, but I didn't say eliminate them, either."

"What do you care if I destroy a couple of Autobots and those disgusting flesh creatures?"

"Because I gave my word that no harm would come to them if they cooperated."

"_I_ didn't."

"If you don't stand down right now, it's going to get ugly," Stormvolt said, aiming one cannon at Cloudburst. It would hurt him but the power was reduced enough that it wouldn't kill. As she stared at him, she crouched and gently placed Daniel on the ground. He ran to his parents, who immediately enveloped him in a hug before shepherding him to stand behind Elita One.

The two Decepticons stared at one another.

"I'm not playing with you," said Stormvolt, optics flaring a bright green. "There's a lot to do, and perhaps not long to do it, and I am sick of somebody constantly interfering whenever I try to make a move. All you need to know is that I gave my word to them and now I'm giving it to you: Harm them and you will regret it."

After a long pause and noting that neither Mindwipe nor Astrotrain offered to take either side, he finally lowered his laser. "What is this faction coming to?" He asked.

"You have no idea," Stormvolt replied, also pointing her weapon at the floor. "Can we please leave now?"

The mechs didn't argue and walked toward the exit. The femme waited until she was certain they were not going to cause any more trouble and then turned to face her prisoners as Ravage joined them.

"Don't say I never did you any favors," she said.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

The Vengeance was free of any infected 'bots. Stormvolt transmitted the pass code that caused the ship to drop its force field and allow them to board. None of them had operated the craft but it wasn't that different from others they had been aboard in the past. The femme had never been aboard any other spacecraft but managed to hide the fact and took charge, trying to be authoritative but not so bossy that the others would refuse to cooperate. But before they got underway, the mechs needed to know what was going on. It didn't take that long to explain the plague, because she didn't know much about it. What they were doing in Unicron's head took longer because Blitzwing kept stopping her to ask questions. The sudden appearance of Ravage without Soundwave made him realize how serious the situation was. Mindwipe and Cloudburst listened with interest but kept shooting each other doubtful glances.

"This plague is highly contagious, you say," Mindwipe said.

"Yes. I personally saw it happen."

"And you haven't seen or heard from Galvatron since all this started?" Cloudburst asked.

"No."

"How do you know he still functions or hasn't contracted the disease himself?" Mindwipe asked.

"I don't. But either way, we have to try to help the others."

"How?" Said Blitzwing.

"I was going to start by going to Earth and seeing what I could find out there. According to the Autobot femme, that's where it started."

"And how were you going to do that?" Cloudburst asked.

"Damn it, you guys, I haven't had a chance to think of everything!" Stormvolt said, throwing her arms upward and walking away from them. "Maybe we can fix it and maybe not. All I know is doing nothing certainly won't help. And if you don't want to go, fine. Leave." She stopped pacing and watched them.

"I'll go with you," Blitzwing said. He had to be allowed back into the faction and would do whatever it took to make it happen. He suddenly turned on the two seekers who had yet to reply. "And you slaggers will, too, if you know what's good for you. Run away, and rest assured Galvatron will hear of it, and in great detail, when we find him."

"Why do you want to be that way, Blitzwing?" Mindwipe asked, drawing nearer and placing a friendly arm around the larger mech's shoulders. "Don't you think-" he began before a large fist to the head cut him off.

"Don't you try any of that processor control with me, Mindwipe." Blitzwing raged. "I'll beat you to microchips if you do that again."

Stormvolt watched and said nothing. Processor control? Great, something else to watch out for.

"Take it easy. We'll go along. Frag!" Mindwipe said, slowly getting to his feet.

"What do you want us to do?" Cloudburst asked helpfully before someone decided to punch him, too.

Once everyone was in agreement, it wasn't difficult to get the ship underway.

XxXxXxXxXxXxX

After a lengthy chase and then a longer fight, Optimus Prime managed to reclaim the Matrix from Rodimus. The coating worked exactly the way Jessica Morgan said it would and Optimus remained free of the plague. That was the easy part. After the battle, he returned to the hideout where Sky Lynx and the Quintesson had resurrected him and entered into the Matrix of Leadership to see if any of the ancient Primes had the answer. Singly, they did not, but together…. As he returned to consciousness, he heard the Quintesson screaming unintelligibly and then Galvatron raving but then there was silence followed by a low hum. It was the Matrix. Optimus sat up as he fully awakened and took the object in his hands. It glowed brightly as the accumulated power within it shot outward in multiple beams.

XxXxXxXxXxXxX

The Vengeance was through the warp gate and not far from its destination when the crew of five saw a wall of light approaching on their forward view screen. It looked like a net of slow motion, jagged, blue lightning edged with an eerie external light.

"What is that?" Blitzwing bellowed over the cacophony of the ship's various alarms blaring.

"I've never seen anything like it," Mindwipe replied.

Cloudburst didn't bother to get in on the conversation, but instead fired at the oncoming phenomenon. The beam from the ship's cannon hit the wall and dissipated in ripples like a rock into a pond. It had absolutely no effect.

"Evasive action," Stormvolt ordered, as she activated the protective force field.

"It's no use," Mindwipe said. "It's too big and too fast."

"15 astroseconds to collision!" Cloudburst warned.

The Decepticons grabbed on to whatever was handy and hoped that they would be alive and fully functional after it passed. Cloudburst continued the countdown and they watched helplessly as time ran out. There was no indication of collision in the manner expected. The force field did nothing. When the roiling lights hit the ship they passed through its skin and entered the interior. It washed over them and moved on until it was out of sight. It was painless, although everyone felt a faint buzzing sensation. Gradually they released their death grips on various parts of the consoles and seats and looked at each other.

"Is everybody okay?" Stormvolt asked. It was peculiar, but she felt fine. In all honesty, she felt better than before but presumed it was relief from being alive. Did relief have an effect upon one's optics? The others suddenly seemed different, but she couldn't put her finger on how right away.

"Yeah, I think," Blitzwing said.

"That wasn't so bad," Cloudburst said.

"Do any of the rest of you feel… different?" Mindwipe asked.

"Kind of, now that you mention it," Blitzwing said.

Ravage watched them briefly and soon determined what the mysterious new condition was. Noticing the subtle was one of his skills. He sent a data stream.

When she received it, Stormvolt jumped from her chair and began to check herself over. Each of her many scrapes and dents were gone. Spots that were once coated in metal sealant had flawless blue paint on them. All her damage had vanished.

"Whatever that was, it fixed us! Look at yourselves. All your damage is gone," she said. That explained what was different. Each of them appeared brand new.

"She's right. I haven't been in such good condition since before the end of war," Blitzwing said.

"Interesting. I wonder if any of this has had an effect on your plague," Mindwipe said.

"We'll find out soon enough," Stormvolt said. "Earth isn't far from here."

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

As the energy released from the Matrix poured forth, it restored everything affected by the Hate Plague to pristine condition, both human and robot. In numerous cases it even made improvements. There would be many scientists studying the aftermath including hundreds of humans who were cured of various diseases they had before catching the plague. It was truly a miracle. And not only to organics.

Once the power of the Matrix passed and the initial daze wore off, Galvatron knew he was different. While he was infected with the plague, the new processor didn't stop its efforts. It became more aggressive than ever and was gradually overcoming the damaged meta circuits, of course it was affected by the plague too, but that didn't deter it. And then when they were healed, the restorative effects were enough to tip the balance. Now the Decepticon standing there was fully repaired to the point that he was no longer Galvatron. But no one else knew that yet. He wanted desperately to get away from here and put his plan into motion, unfortunately he had to observe the formalities. As he waited, he observed his troops.

Cyclonus was as stunned as any of the rest but was quickly recovering. Yes, there would be a high-ranking position for one so loyal. He had a use for Scourge also, though the tracker had already proven to be untrustworthy. But that was under the deranged leadership of Galvatron. Things were going to be quite different under the new regime of Megatron. Different for everyone, especially the Autobots.

"There will be no war today," he said to Optimus Prime. "You have earned Galvatron's respect." Oh, it was becoming difficult to maintain that ridiculous voice. He needed to get out of here before it slid back to its normal rasp. "Decepticons, follow me," he said.

Scourge looked at Cyclonus with a confused expression and Cyclonus gave a small shrug. That Galvatron wasn't ranting or obviously scheming and simply walking away was out of the ordinary to say the least. The way he addressed the Autobot leader was one of the greatest pieces of acting he had ever seen if that's what it actually was. He didn't know and was anxious to get back to Chaar and find out how Stormvolt had fared. He couldn't recall seeing her when he was infected. Most of his memories of that period were already hazy and it didn't ease his mind at all.

Once they were outside and away from the Autobots, Galvatron stood in front of them and immediately took action.

"Soundwave, summon the absent Decepticons to Chaar at once. We will meet them in space and return in force. If anyone remains on Chaar and is infected with the plague we will destroy them."

"As you command," Soundwave replied. He was getting unusual readings from Galvatron and suspected that he wasn't Unicron's creation at all anymore.

Cyclonus had questions but he didn't feel it was appropriate to ask in front of the others. However, he was happy. The Galvatron of old was standing in front of him. Whether it was caused by the Matrix or adding the extra processor, he did not know, but his leader was decisive and commanding and he was glad to see it. But there was one abnormality; the more he spoke, the more hoarse his vocalizer became.

XxXxXxXxXxXxX

The _Vengeance_ was within visual range of Earth and there had been no communications from the others. Stormvolt was using the ship's equipment to scan the dozens of satellites orbiting the planet. Many were sending nothing but static. Others had color bars and that annoying 1000 Hertz continuous tone. There were a few that broadcast images sent by cameras and transmission equipment that continued to function after being abandoned in panic or out of sheer necessity. These images showed areas that were devoid of people except for one where three humans were seen in the background wandering as if in shock. But it wasn't an entirely bad sign because they weren't glowing red. Unless the kid was wrong about people catching it. What was the best way to approach the situation? She didn't feel that the others were entirely behind her and this mission. But then, they had come this far and- The alarms began to sound, interrupting her thoughts.

"What is it?" Stormvolt asked, glancing toward Blitzwing and then back at he view screen. As she watched the image was magnified. It wasn't enough to tell for certain, but it seemed that many small objects were approaching. As she watched, a new group came on screen and joined the original and then they headed directly for the ship.

"It's a group of 'bots, but I don't know whose side they're on."

"Want me to blast them?" Cloudburst asked.

"Of course not. At least not until we identify them," said Stormvolt. And if they were infected, it wouldn't matter who they were. She reached out and activated the force fields again.

"That may not be required," Mindwipe said. He made an adjustment to an instrument on a nearby panel and managed to wring a tiny bit more magnification out of the scope. As they watched and the 'bots drew nearer, one thing was apparent: whoever they were, they were a range of colors, not one of them glowing red.

The communicator activated before the image cleared.

"Attention Vengeance! Stand down and prepare for boarding." _Or else_, the tone implied. The speaker did not identify himself. He didn't have to. The five Decepticons aboard the warship would know that gravelly voice anywhere. The image on the screen became sharp as the transmission ended. It was their entire faction and they were totally normal.

"What the slag?" Blitzwing said. "That sounded like Megatron, but I don't see him out there. Only Galvatron."

"Oh, it's him alright. Don't worry about that," Stormvolt said.

They brought the ship to a halt, lowered the force fields and waited. In case they were wrong, the group stood close together and prepared to fight if the need arose. They heard heavy steps approaching. Galvatron strode into the room, cannon raised and ready for battle. Cyclonus, Scourge, and the Sweeps closely followed him. When they saw that these five were normal they lowered their weapons. Galvatron's stare bore into them and they didn't dare speak.

"What is this? Who is responsible?" Galvatron said, as the remaining Decepticons in his group filed into the room.

The others stared at Stormvolt and, except for Ravage, moved away from her.

"I am," she said.

Galvatron slowly walked up to her and then grinned knowingly. "Ah, faithful Stormvolt. It might take you longer than it should, but in the end you can be counted upon to act in your faction's best interest," he said, placing a hand on her shoulder.

She wasn't sure how to respond to that. It had been ages since she'd received one of Megatron's backhanded compliments. And who was he? He sounded like Megatron but was in Galvatron's chassis. But was that so odd? She didn't know what to expect when the processor eventually got the upper hand. Would he look the same or would it trip his internal repairs in a way that would have him in a cocoon like the ones she'd been in? Whoever he was, he wasn't crazy. He was unquestionably in command.

"How were you cured of the plague?" She said. "We tried something, but I didn't know if it would help."

"We?"

"Ravage and I."

"We will discuss this in further detail later," he said. "What about the others?"

"They got there afterward."

Galvatron turned toward Blitzwing, Cloudburst and Mindwipe. "Blitzwing. What brings you here?"

The big mech seemed unsure of how to proceed but finally answered. "After you banished me, I stayed in hiding, surviving on my own until I decided to find other Decepticons who were scattered after Unicron attacked or were on outposts in deep space and possibly unaware."

"And once you found them?"

"I intended to bring them back to Chaar to increase our numbers, and perhaps gain your forgiveness."

"And you managed to locate two soldiers, Blitzwing. Very impressive," Galvatron said dismissively.

"No sir, not just two," Blitzwing argued and gestured at the two seekers. "Mindwipe and Cloudburst agreed to come with me now. The others are were following and should arrive any time."

"Others? How many?" Galvatron asked sharply.

"A force of seventy five, sir," Mindwipe said. "And we alerted another outpost. They are awaiting the order to return, but I don't know their strength. It's a larger facility so I would estimate at least one hundred and fifty."

"Well done, Blitzwing, and welcome back."

"Thank you, Mighty Galvatron," Blitzwing said, bowing.

His leader had turned away with a pleased expression on his faceplate, but as soon as Blitzwing gave his thanks, Galvatron suddenly wheeled on him with an absolutely furious stare.

"What did you call me?" He asked softly, dangerously.

Blitzwing was confused and scared. What had he done wrong?

"Because of your recent actions, I will spare you this time." He turned to speak to the entire room. "But know this: I will destroy anyone who dares mention that name in my presence again. Galvatron is no more. He never was. I AM AND ALWAYS WILL BE MEGATRON!"

"All hail Megatron," Soundwave said.

"_HAIL MEGATRON! DECEPTICON RULE FOREVER!" _The crowd shouted.

"Hook, turn the ship around and set a new course." Megatron said.

"As you command. What is our destination? Chaar?"

"No," Megatron said with a faint smile. "Cybertron."


	44. Take It From The Top

Author's note: I kind of like these shorter chapters. They're easier to write and you guys get more updates that way. I may try to keep them around this size if it works out okay for the story. If it doesn't, I won't. Thanks for reading and commenting and such. I appreciate it. Transformers belongs to Hasbro and Takara, not me.

A Blessing and A Curse  
By: Quetzal1

Chapter 43  
Take It From The Top

They were starting over but it felt almost as if nothing had changed, like they had gone back in time to an earlier phase of the Great War. Megatron, seated on the command bridge, watched his troops with a clinical optic. Their numbers were depleted at the moment but more fighters were on the way and there was an additional reserve to call upon. Ultimately, it turned out to be a fortunate event because it led to the addition of more warriors at a critical juncture, but Blitzwing should not have been exiled. His discovery that the Quintessons were lying about the existence of a Decepticon version of the Matrix could have prevented disaster. Well, if Megatron had been himself when it happened. Unraveling the damage done by Galvatron was going to require a great deal of work. And there were many other loose ends not directly Galvatron caused that required tying up. The would-be usurpers were one of the big ones.

He already knew what was going to happen to the Stunticons and certain Combaticons once the current objective was met. Even now Vortex and Motormaster were obviously discussing a matter of great importance to them, and judging from Vortex's scowl, it was rather like he knew they were caught, or close to it. Motormaster looked less concerned, but then he never did have much sense. Megatron was certain that was what they were talking about. Considering that relations between the groups were contentious at best under normal circumstances, only the direst of threats would make them voluntarily cooperative with one another. And there was no threat direr than their ruler when he was displeased. Yes, an example would be made of them, when things were firmly under control and calmed down. In the meantime they could squirm in uncomfortable anticipation.

Megatron switched his gaze to where Cyclonus and Stormvolt were also engaged in conversation. They did a good job of maintaining professionalism in front of the others, but of course after spending so long within her mind, he knew that they would like nothing better than to be alone right now. It would be interesting to see the ultimate outcome of their relationship. Either alternative would work out fine for him. One simply required much more patience. Now that his processor was correct, he had a lot of that. He glanced down at the ludicrous yellow cannon mounted to his right forearm and amended his previous thought. He had patience for virtually everything else but that excluded the chassis he was trapped in. Stormvolt had briefed him on her activities within Unicron's head and it wasn't surprising to discover that the planet-eating monster continued to survive on some level, and was responsible in part for much of their troubles. He smiled unconsciously as he mulled over the hefty payback he intended to deliver. It was a part of his larger plan, and no one would deter him. There was such a huge amount to do, that merely thinking of it made it hard to sit there calmly, but he'd better rest now while he could. Once they reached Cybertron, there would not be much opportunity.

XxX

"I admire that you kept your word, but occasionally I think you are too merciful," Cyclonus said. Stormvolt had filled him in on a few tiny details she didn't feel Megatron really needed to know when she told their leader about what went on in Unicron's head.

"It wasn't like they could do anything. I had a hostage and there was only one fully operational Autobot," said Stormvolt.

"I am sorry to have missed that. I would have liked to see you in action." Obviously his instruction had not been wasted. He was pleased and proud, but this wasn't the venue to say so. For the moment it was enough to have survived and been reunited.

"It wasn't the prettiest. I'm sure there were things I should have done better."

"Considering it was your first experience with actual hand-to-hand combat, I do not doubt that. However, you were successful. And if she survived you have undoubtedly gained a nemesis."

"She's the vengeful sort, so you're probably right. But you say that like it's good."

"No, but that is what happens when you do not eliminate an enemy when you have the opportunity," Cyclonus said, wryly.

"You missed it, Blue," Rumble interrupted, as he and Frenzy joined the two larger 'bots.

"No, I just stayed out of the way," Stormvolt replied, not commenting on how nice it was to hear his voice again. She had missed the little troublemakers.

"Ravage says you pounded the slag outta that Autobot femme," said Frenzy.

"Yeah, but she wasn't a pushover."

"Pffft, minor details," said Rumble, flapping a hand dismissively.

"What about you guys? Did you catch the plague too?"

"Oh yeah, we caught it all right. It was nothin' but one big brawl, every 'bot for himself," said Frenzy.

Did they fight one another? The femme wondered. They usually seemed very close and it was hard to imagine them trying to destroy each other. If they did, neither of them acted like it bothered them much now that it was over.

"But everyone was cured by that Matrix thing, huh?"

"Right. But we better not need it again, because as we was leavin' I heard the Autobots talkin' about it bein' empty now."

"Yeah, but that means they can't use it either," said Rumble.

"But isn't that where whoever's the Prime gets their power?" Stormvolt asked. Megatron had given her a brief explanation of the object to add to her limited knowledge of it.

"That is correct, and were Rodimus Prime still in charge, it would be a much larger hindrance. I suspect Optimus does not require as much assistance in that regard," said Cyclonus. He didn't have much experience with the former leader, but that the Autobot had managed to overcome enormous odds and recover the Matrix and then use it to cure everyone, impressed him greatly.

"Yeah, Optimus is way more tougher than Rodimus, but I still think it's better that they don't have it," said Frenzy.

"I betcha that's got somethin' ta do with goin' ta Cybertron now," said Rumble quietly. "Check out the boss. You can tell he's plannin' somethin' big by lookin' at him."

Stormvolt carefully stole a glance in Megatron's direction. The way he was watching the activity in the room with that smirk on his faceplate did indeed suggest something was going to happen soon. He hadn't let them in on his plans in any great detail yet and all of them wondered what was coming. Were they going to attack and try to take back Cybertron while most of the Autobots were on Earth and the rest were most certainly still in a state of disarray? Surely not. They didn't have the numbers to pull it off. On the other hand, now that Megatron was repaired, anything was possible.

XxX

On the far side of the room, Vortex wasn't feeling quite as secure as he had before the plague. Galvatron was gone, apparently, and somehow, Megatron was back. What did that mean for their plan? The wise course of action was to abandon it and erase any traces of it. But…they had done so much planning and were very close to making it happen. What annoyed him the most was Motormaster's breezy dismissiveness to his concerns.

"I don't know why you got your wires in a bunch," said Motormaster.

"Because I value my life, idiot," said Vortex.

"No need for the attitude. We got nothing to worry about. It's not like Megatron or Galvatron or whoever he is now knew about it."

"Yes, but I think Cyclonus suspected us. What if he tells Megatron?"

"We deny it. He's got no proof."

"What about all the weapons? I think we need to make them disappear."

"_I _think we ought to save them for an emergency. Maybe we'll want to continue, if Megatron doesn't have any more success than Galvatron. And nobody knows where they are except for us."

Vortex furtively glanced at Megatron and the energon within his system nearly froze when he saw that their leader was staring directly at him with a trace of a smile. It was as if he knew exactly what they'd been doing and was merely waiting for the correct moment to make them suffer. Or perhaps he was just being paranoid. Megatron suddenly rose from his chair, and for a second or two, Vortex was certain the end was upon him, but he was wrong.

"Decepticons!" Megatron said. "The time has come for us to take back what is rightfully ours." He paused for the cheers he knew the statement would elicit.

"Hook, put the ship into its usual orbit around Chaar. From there we are going back to Cybertron under our own power, but not to outright invade. Do not do anything that will draw attention to us unless the Autobots attack first. I suspect that their forces are in disarray and that the majority of them will remain on Earth to assist in the repair of damages. They will not know we are there until it is too late."

"What is our objective, Mighty One?" Cyclonus asked. It felt strange to address this mech who was really not Galvatron with such a title.

"If it remains standing, we are going to bring Darkmount back to full operational capacity and it will serve as our base of operations as it always has. After that, we will wait for the Autobots to return and then we will begin phase two of my plan."

Cyclonus nodded in response. He wasn't used to being kept in the dark like this and would have liked to know what phase two was, but knew better than to ask. Megatron evidently liked to operate on a need to know basis. Hopefully he would soon consider Cyclonus worthy of knowing his ideas from their inception.

_Phases. He hasn't lost his touch for convoluted schemes_, Stormvolt thought. But deep down she was excited. Not because of the plan, but because finally she would get to see the fabled Darkmount.

"The ship is in geosynchronous orbit with Chaar, Megatron," said Hook.

"Very well, then. Cloudburst, I want you to meet the reinforcements, take them to Chaar and await further orders. Is that clear?" Said Megatron.

"Yes sir," Cloudburst said, and immediately made for the exit. He was disappointed to miss the reentry to Cybertron, in the event there was fighting, but he was no fool and didn't complain.

"The rest of you, follow me," Megatron commanded.

Cyclonus and Stormvolt glanced at one another as they filed toward the exit. The mech didn't know where he should be. He was used to being at Galvatron's side but would it be presumptuous of him to take that same position now? He hated uncertainty.

"Hang back for now, but be ready. If he wants you, he will definitely let you know," Stormvolt said. His uncharacteristic hesitation told her what was likely going on in Cyclonus's mind. The only leader he had known was gone and now he had to learn the attributes of a new one. She remembered Unicron's words and wondered if this drastic change was causing a lot of conflicts with his programming. He seemed to be handling it fine for now.

"You would know better than I," Cyclonus replied.

"Don't sweat it. Megatron values loyalty. Just wait and see."

XxX

As the Decepticons drew closer to Cybertron, they became more anxious. Their exile hadn't been long but it was strictly enforced. The one place any of them were permitted was the crypt and then only with permission and supervision, so it wasn't purely paranoia that made each of them expect to be shot at. The open channel for warnings remained silent. Following Megatron's lead, they veered away from the path that would have taken them to Iacon, the heart of the Autobots' operations, and instead, headed toward a darker area of the planet. The restoration of Cybertron wasn't a quick event and there were many parts of the planet that awaited repairs of the infrastructure. Polyhex was one of these parts. It had been the seat of Decepticon power and there was nothing there that would prompt the Autobots to hurry in their refurbishments. _If the Autobots were as clever as they liked to believe, they would have destroyed it when they had the chance_, Megatron thought.

The group penetrated Cybertronian airspace and no warning came, nor did any acts of aggression. Yes! He was correct. Perhaps in the plague induced fighting the Autobots had damaged their perimeter warning and defense systems or those who were supposed to be monitoring it had destroyed one another. Megatron didn't particularly care what the reason was, although if were to choose he would prefer the second option. He surveyed the landscape as it came nearer. So many familiar sights! He recalled a battle or armed skirmish for every area he saw. Soon their target came into view.

Darkmount was an imposing edifice, even from high in the air. Stormvolt had often wondered about it after she learned it was where she was supposed to live out her human life, but her imagination, before or after her metamorphosis, didn't conjure anything like the image below her. The fortress was gargantuan. She had no idea of the acreage it covered, but it had to be in the tens of thousands. There were many sections shaped like thin, elongated bullets and here and there were towers with flat tops. They were made of a dark gray, almost black, shiny metal and arranged in a circular pattern for defense. With no corners, a gun emplacement would have greater ease in covering a larger area. They were invisible from the air, but the seeker was certain that they existed. It was undoubtedly bristling with weaponry. And its location on a high plateau would also aid in its defense. Yes, if they got settled in there, the Autobots were going to have a damn hard time getting them out. The surrounding landscape suggested that the Matrix's repairs extended only to those infected by the plague because much of the area around Darkmount had a huge amount of damage. Was it from the war or Unicron's attack or what?

The group landed one by one at the gates of Darkmount. Megatron stood there briefly, hands on hips, savoring the moment. It was about as close to sentimentality as most had ever seen him get, but it didn't last more than a few seconds. He briskly walked to an area beside the massive gates. There, a section of the gray metal slid away revealing an access panel. He paused as if remembering and then tapped a lengthy sequence of buttons on the keypad. The panel covered itself again and then the gates retracted into the walls allowing the Decepticons to enter.

Megatron didn't pause to look around. He was undisputed master here and there was no reason to hesitate as he entered the darkness of his stronghold. Knowing her faction the way she did, Stormvolt was surprised that there were no hidden traps that were activated when someone came wandering in. Or perhaps there were and whatever Megatron did outside deactivated them in addition to opening the gates. The many footsteps echoed in the darkness. A quick ping of the radar showed the femme that there was room to fly in here in one's alt mode if the need arose. The hallways were huge. There were lights recessed into the walls farther down from where they were, but the irregularity of the pattern indicated that some of them were damaged or the power grid inside wasn't operating correctly. The entire place had been abandoned for quite a while.

Here and there were other panels similar to the one outside. Megatron stopped at certain ones but they refused to cooperate. He fully expected it, having seen the damage Unicron's attack on Cybertron created. Even an impressive structure like Darkmount didn't escape harm entirely.

"Scrapper, you and the other Constructicons are to restore power immediately. Any of the rest of you will assist them if Scrapper requires it. Get going. We must complete our mission before the Autobots know we have returned."

"Yes, sir," the Combaticons answered in unison, and immediately departed.

"Shockwave?"

"Yes, my lord?" He said, immediately moving to stand by Megatron's side.

The two of them moved away from the others and had an extremely brief and quiet one-sided discussion. Megatron said something and Shockwave bowed and then ran away into the darkness.

"Cyclonus, you will organize the others into teams and make sure the weapon emplacements are functional. Each has it's own independent power generator so it is not necessary to wait on the Constructicons."

"As you wish, Mighty One."

"Soundwave, dispatch Laserbeak and Buzzsaw to watch the perimeter until the early warning systems are functional again. When power is restored, run a full diagnostic check of communications and security systems,"

"Yes, Megatron. Laserbeak, Buzzsaw eject. Operation: patrol," said Soundwave. The raptor cassettes flew outward and transformed, their engines igniting and leaving short trails of flame behind them in the gloom.

Cyclonus immediately began to divide up the remaining 'bots into work crews, conferring with Soundwave because, though he had technically been here before, he retained no memories of the layout of the fort.

Megatron didn't wait to hear any more and walked away and down the hall toward the irregular lighting. He was excited but masked it well. Things were progressing according to plan. After several turns and two ramps upward, he finally reached his destination. With no power the doors wouldn't open automatically. Wedging his hand into the space where the doors met in the center of the opening, he forced them apart. More darkness greeted him, but if his optics hadn't had night vision or radar capability, he could have easily gotten around anyway. It was his office and private quarters. He knew exactly where every object was and the other door that led to his personal chambers. He paused in the entryway and then walked into the office. There was a feeble light and he could see better in there. The viewports in the walls were taller than he was and arched to wicked points far above his head, mimicking the design of the structure. Further over were more doors that opened onto a balcony. He forced those open and went outside. Far away, the illumination from Iacon lit the horizon with a soft white glow. None of the city itself was visible and that was better. It would take them longer to notice they had visitors. He smiled slightly. Reclaiming Darkmount was only the beginning and there was a lot of lost time to make up for.

The Autobots outnumbered them and would continue to, despite the reinforcements. However, he had prepared for this kind of emergency. He wandered back into the office, pausing to look at his shadow with disgust before closing the doors to the balcony behind him. Patience. Everything would be righted soon. He calmed himself with thoughts of the extremely near future. Secreted in this room were the items that would give them a huge advantage, and yet allow for the appearance of reasonableness. It wouldn't gain him the entirety of Cybertron, but it would be an acceptable start.

XxX

Shockwave was tense as he went into the depths of the fortress. In the glory days, he had maintained a laboratory that was near the medical facilities. Both areas had multiple backup systems that were supposed to maintain power and other critical functions in the event the rest of the structure was damaged or totally inoperable. The knowledge didn't ease his worries. He was on Cybertron when Unicron attempted to devour it, and witnessed firsthand the power and devastation. Darkmount didn't look any the worse for wear but the tremendous forces generated by Unicron may have damaged things in ways they had yet to discover. At last he reached the bottom level and was mildly surprised to find the halls well lit and everything seemingly in fine condition. He hurried along the corridor to the door of his laboratory. After entering a code and waiting for the scan that would positively identify him, Shockwave entered one of the many places he had lamented the loss of while they were stuck on Chaar. At first glance, all was as it should be, but then the mech spotted it: a large, blinking orange light to the side of the monitor at the main workstation. It was a warning and he had a good idea of what. The reserve power was running out. There was a generator, but as efficient as it was, it would eventually consume the entirety of its fuel. It was never intended to go for as long as it had.

After performing several calculations, Shockwave quickly determined that he could do what needed to be done if the rest was in order, but there wasn't any time to squander on delays. He moved over to what at first glance resembled a very sophisticated and futuristic bank vault. In a sense, it _was_ a sort of vault, but it didn't contain currency. Inside was an item far more valuable that only he and Megatron knew about. Shockwave wanted to check the contents but he only had half of the code that allowed access. Megatron had the other. He was unable to get to it, but a visual inspection was possible. A press of a button lit up the interior of the container and he felt a thrill of anticipation in his circuits when it did. Nothing was amiss as far as he could tell. He reluctantly forced himself to stop staring and quickly turned off the lights to conserve power before making his way to the medical lab.


	45. Back In The Saddle Again

Author's note: More at the end so I don't give anything away. Thanks for reading and commenting and whatnot. Transformers belongs to Hasbro and Takara, not me.

Chapter 44  
Back In The Saddle Again

Restoration of the fort's defenses was going much better than Cyclonus had hoped. Thus far, of the fifteen gun emplacements he had inspected, only two had required minor repairs. The weapons were operated manually or through a system of automation. Automation used more power, but as it was, there weren't enough 'bots to man each gun. He walked to the next station, taking in his surroundings as he went. It was truly a location worthy of their faction and of Galvatron. No, not Galvatron. _Megatron_.

Thus far Megatron had proved a competent leader, but it was a difficult situation for Cyclonus to get a handle on. He was programmed to serve Galvatron, but had Galvatron ever actually existed? Simply because Unicron ordained it did not make something true. And Megatron himself claimed that he was never anyone else. He reluctantly admitted to himself that it was possible. At the first opportunity Galvatron had attempted to destroy Unicron. Before Thrull he had gone about that and his other business with ruthlessness, cunning and efficiency. Like now. It was confusing. Cyclonus didn't fear any retribution from their new leader. He had always been loyal and served to the best of his ability. However, if he were demoted, that would mean trouble from other Decepticons who had envied his previous authority. He was not afraid of them. And if he were demoted, he would simply have to work his way back up. Once things were calm he could consider the matter in greater depth and perhaps get Stormvolt's thoughts on it. She knew Megatron well. Many, like Soundwave, knew him better by virtue of millennia of association. Despite their earlier collaboration, he did not trust any of the others with a topic like this. The next gun was just ahead and his sensors told him it was being tended to by Rumble and Frenzy.

"I can't wait ta try this out on a real target," said Rumble, watching the huge cannon track the movements of Frenzy as he flew in irregular patterns in an attempt to elude it.

"Are you sure it's not powered up?" Frenzy asked as he zigzagged back and forth.

"Would I lie ta you about a thing like that?"

"Yes."

"Status report," Cyclonus said, stepping onto the platform and catching them both by surprise.

"It's ready. It fires manually and the tracking system works too," Rumble said. Despite their cooperation in trying to repair Megatron, he still thought Cyclonus was kind of creepy sometimes and the way he appeared out of nowhere like that only reinforced the feeling.

"Very well," Cyclonus said, and then glanced around. "Where is Stormvolt?"

"Megatron called her a little while ago. He didn't say why," Frenzy replied.

"I see. When you are finished here, continue on with emplacement twenty-one," Cyclonus said, and then continued on to monitor how the others were progressing. It was none of his business, but he wondered why Stormvolt was summoned. It was a peculiar relationship, he knew. She had been an inordinately useful pet and then served as a carrier and protector of Megatron's true spirit, or at the least a copy of it. Undoubtedly they had much to discuss, it was only natural. But, in the depths of his processors, did the idea made him uneasy in a vague way he didn't understand.

XxXxXxXxXxXxX

It was like being a human again in that her surroundings were huge and foreign. Stormvolt was navigating the corridors of Darkmount easily enough through the use of night vision and radar but the air of abandonment was unsettling in some ways. All the Decepticons on Cybertron used to reside here before Unicron showed up and the world went crazy. Or at least they had maintained quarters here for when they weren't off in space exploring or colonizing or whatever else they did. And now there were rooms that would possibly remain empty for a long while, their owners long gone or changed into someone else. Would it be wrong to have a peek at the quarters of her old friends? She was curious to see how they had lived. On Earth, no one seemed to have many possessions or decoration in their areas, but why would they? Earth was nothing but one big fight and a temporary state of affairs. But home, real home was different. One easily saw that much by looking at the décor in the crypt and at Darkmount. It might be cool to see the way Skywarp and Thundercracker used to live. On the other hand it could also be a big, fat shot of misery.

Though they weren't necessarily dead when they were changed, no traces of the real them existed anymore and she should probably do herself a favor and stop searching for them. But what to do with the information she gathered from Unicron? She knew for a fact that Thundercracker became Scourge. Would he give a damn one way or the other? Cyclonus wasn't curious about who he used to be, or so he said. If the video hadn't cut out, she would know who was. As it stood, his identity was narrowed down to one of two mechs. If she knew who for certain, would he want the information she'd retrieved? Megatron hadn't seen fit to tell them much, but he was out of his mind and maybe he'd done it out of simple meanness. The smart move would be to stop obsessing over it. For the present, anyway. There were more immediate concerns like: what did Megatron want that required her coming to Shockwave's laboratory? Those last two words together did not give her a good feeling. It was easy enough to find once she got to the well-lit areas on the bottom level. The walls were a lighter colored metal than the outside of the building and were nearly seamless. It all appeared so clean and efficient compared to the old headquarters on the submerged spacecraft. The door to the lab was closed, and as she wondered whether or not she should knock, they slid open almost noiselessly.

Inside, Shockwave worked at a console and Megatron stood over something big on a low table nearby. To Stormvolt, it was an awful lot like a casket, super modern style, with a lot of wires and hoses attached at one end that ran to a huge bank of monitoring equipment similar to that on the Vengeance only there was much more of it. Neither of them acknowledged her at first.

"How are the repairs progressing?" Megatron finally asked, looking up from the table.

"I don't know about the Constructicons, but the guns are coming along quickly. Most of the ones I saw weren't damaged, and what damage there was, was minor." Man, it was peculiar hearing his voice come out of that body.

Megatron said nothing but nodded and went back to staring at the object on the table with a faint smile.

Everything lately was reminding her of the distant past. Here she was again, waiting for the explanation as to why she was called. On occasion, he obviously wanted her to ask, providing him with the excuse to launch into a lengthy, almost gloating explanation but this didn't feel that way for whatever reason. In that case, it was best to wait for him to speak first.

"I presume you are wondering why I have summoned you," Megatron said.

"Yes, sir."

"We are rapidly approaching a direct confrontation with the Autobots and I am not going to face Prime in this…_shell_." His tone went from businesslike to revulsion in one word and Stormvolt had to force herself not to back away out of habit.

"I had planned for unforeseen circumstances long ago, although Unicron's interference was beyond even what _I_ anticipated as a possibility," he said, beckoning the seeker with a wave of the hand as he spoke.

She approached the casket-like object and saw that there was a window in the top. Inside, what appeared to be smoke or mist obscured whatever was contained within. Lights in the case gave it an eerie glow. The femme was about to ask what was it was, when a loud metallic clack sounded quickly followed by the whoosh of air escaping. The mist cleared instantly and she recoiled in surprise at what it revealed. It was a body, one extremely like Megatron's as she'd known him previously.

"Protoform infusion is complete," Shockwave said.

"Excellent. We will begin immediately," said Megatron, and then in a quieter voice: "You are going to assist Shockwave with the final phase of my restoration." He was standing behind her, gazing down over her shoulder at the table as he spoke and it unnerved her more than the body in the case.

"What's that?" Stormvolt asked, moving to the side and turning to face him.

"The transfer of my spark and the information in my processors to this new chassis."

His _spark_? Holy shit, this felt like a task that was beyond her ability. "Wouldn't you rather have Hook or somebody?" She asked.

"No. You are more than suitable to assist. Shockwave knows exactly what to do."

"As you wish." Argument was futile.

"If you are ready, Lord Megatron," Shockwave said. He did not need anyone's help and especially resented the seeker's presence. Once they had the extra processor out of her head, she ceased to be useful as far as he was concerned.

Megatron lay down on a table beside the one holding his new body and waited.

"First, I will induce stasis," Shockwave said, as he connected various monitors and devices to Megatron. "Initiating sequence."

Stormvolt doubted that Shockwave needed her help, but she stepped up to the table and waited for instructions.

XxX

The first step was to copy and transfer the contents of Megatron's processors. It was the longest part because of the massive volume of information. Shockwave didn't request that Stormvolt do anything yet and that was fine with her. It made it much easier to watch what he was doing for future reference, although she hoped things never again went so awry that this was necessary. A large bundle of cables went from Megatron's cranial chamber to a computer console and then to the new body. The console, in addition to copying the original information, also functioned like a filter to catch any glitches in the coding. The Matrix had done a good job and there were no issues. Shockwave disconnected the cables from the replacement chassis and closed the cranial chamber.

"Next is the most critical part of the restoration," Shockwave said. "The transference of the spark."

"What do you want me to do?" Stormvolt asked.

"I will place it in a temporary storage vessel and then move it to the permanent containment chamber. When I do, you will immediately close the chamber and connect the cables here and here," he said, pointing to the devices. "Aside from that, stay out of my way."

She didn't bother to reply. It was obvious that he was even more of an uppity prick than before, and of course he was jealous that she was involved with this at all. It wasn't hard to imagine Shockwave getting wound up at the prospect of being all alone with, and close to, Megatron's spark. No, it wasn't hard, but it was gross. All right, he was making a move. Better pay attention.

Shockwave held a device resembling a three-pronged claw hanging from a thick handle. He pressed a button with his thumb and the prongs opened outward and a series of lights blinked along the handle, then he turned away from her, effectively blocking the view. Stormvolt couldn't see what he was doing but she had a guess based on his body language. He stood motionless for a few seconds, as if gathering his nerve, and she heard a series of metallic scrapes and clicks. Then he was still again, the hand holding the device suspended in midair like it was forgotten. She glanced down at the containment chamber and placed one hand near the door to flip it closed and the other on the first of the two cables she had to connect.

"Are you ready?" Shockwave asked.

"Yes."

"Transferring spark." He moved the claw-like tool down out of her line of site and when he turned toward her, a sphere that looked as delicate as a soap bubble was suspended in a field between the prongs of the claw, which had extended and closed like a cage. Beams of light danced within the spark. It wasn't the first time she'd seen it, but it remained fascinating and beautiful to watch.

Shockwave moved carefully, bringing the spark over and down to its new home. When it was settled into the casing, he released it from the claw. Stormvolt moved to close the chamber as soon as the device was out of the way. As she gently swung the small but heavy door up, the beams of light within the spark focused together into a single ray and strained toward her hand. The wall kept them in check but it was clearly drawn to her. What the hell was that about? She was tempted to move her hand around and see if it followed, but this wasn't a toy and it was obviously reacting. Was it because of the processor? After being in her head did it identify with her in some way? Whatever it was, she didn't like it. The beam kept reaching toward her hand, following its movement as she sealed the spark chamber. When the cables were connected, more pieces of armor enclosed the chamber and systems began to slowly power up.

Shockwave moved in and replaced all the armor and sheet metal covering Megatron's internals before turning to the monitors and making adjustments that Stormvolt recognized. He was returning control of consciousness back to Megatron's systems. All they had to do now was wait for him to come out of stasis on his own, and if she knew him at all, it wouldn't take long.

XxX

The lights in the laboratory flickered as the main power came back on line. The femme was glad of it. The backup was nearly gone and she didn't fancy the idea of sitting around in the dark with Shockwave. And what about Megatron? Was it a certainty that this would turn out all right? Did they do anything wrong that would make him dangerous? Well, more dangerous than he was naturally. Stormvolt watched him. This body was not constructed in as trim a fashion as the one she knew on Earth, but neither was it dumpy like Galvatron. The faceplate had the same severe, pissed off expression and overall it was the same combination of colors. The main differences were the overall blockier build, the shape of the fusion cannon and the new appendages on his back. In his robot mode, the cannon didn't resemble a big scope as much as before, but that was probably because he didn't transform into a handgun now. He didn't need an Earth disguise and could be what he really was. The lack of a gun barrel on his back like a mortar launcher, also suggested this. Instead there were two big attachments that stuck up slightly higher than his head on either side. They appeared to be covers for heavy and sharp edged treads. Those combined with the fusion cannon suggested a variety of tank in her mind, but this wasn't Earth and all bets were off. What baffled her more than anything else about this whole endeavor, was the fact that he had actually been keeping a spare body around all this time.

As she stared at him, the crimson optics suddenly flared to life. Shockwave was on his feet and standing next to the table in an instant. Stormvolt cautiously joined him, her feelings a mix of happiness and a crawling, uneasy sensation that perhaps they had set events in motion that would quickly spiral out of control.

"How do you feel my lord?" Shockwave asked.

Megatron said nothing, but instead, sat up in the container and then suddenly vaulted out of it, his landing on the floor rattling various objects. He was taller now, Stormvolt plainly saw. And he looked far stronger than he had in either incarnation she was familiar with. He stood there bending and flexing as he tested out his new chassis.

"Stand back," he ordered, moving out into an open area. When he had enough room, he transformed. The seeker's guess was correct, he was a tank, but one unlike any she had seen before. He was more aerodynamic but with a lot of wickedly sharp edges. His engine had a low pitched, rumbling roar that all but drowned out the shriek of a turbine. At idle it sounded like a warning growl and the entire laboratory was shuddering with its volume. He abruptly stopped, transformed and then threw back his head and laughed.

"Well done, Shockwave. I feel extraordinary," he said, placing a friendly hand on the mech's shoulder.

"It was an honor, sir."

"Your next assignment is to go to the repair bay and make sure all is in readiness. If everything goes as I anticipate, it will be unnecessary. However, if it does not, there will be casualties." He started to walk away, but then turned back. "And you know what to do with… _certain components_."

"Yes, my lord. It was be as you command."

Megatron turned to face Stormvolt. "You will come with me," he said, and then walked to the exit, not waiting for a reply.

Stormvolt followed, saying nothing but sneaking glances at him as they walked back up the dark ramps. She didn't know how he did it, but the mech was more intimidating than he had ever been, despite her change in stature.

"You are awfully quiet. Why don't you ask what you want to know instead of looking at me when you think I do not notice?"

Damn, he didn't miss anything. And frankly, she was kind of afraid to ask a lot of questions, being used to the way Galvatron behaved. Not to mention what he might have in mind as punishment after the way she regularly smarted off to him when he was in her head.

As though reading her mind, he continued. "You should know better than anyone that I am not as I was. Furthermore, there is no need for you to fear any retribution for the past. I am quite pleased with your conduct thus far."

"Thank you," she said. He was correct in that she did have questions. "So, uh… is this what you were before you came to Earth and took on a disguise, or is it more like an upgrade?"

"This is my true form. I cannot fathom why Teletraan One disguised me as it did when humans possessed vehicles that were similar."

"Me either."

"I would like to know about your change as well. It is an enormous improvement over being confined to the body of a puny flesh creature. Truthfully, don't you find it preferable?"

"It's certainly different."

"You did not answer the question."

"I think maybe I do, which isn't to say there aren't things I miss about being human, but it's nothing I can't deal with."

"I would like to discuss it in greater depth once the current situation is resolved."

_Resolved? _ He was talking so casually, like it was a trifling matter, like an error in filling out paperwork or a misplaced part, not covert infiltration of a planet that they were forbidden to inhabit. And what about telling Shockwave to prepare for casualties? He didn't say they were _possible_ if things didn't go according to plan, he stated them as a guarantee if they didn't. She wondered how he could be this calm, but then it wasn't unusual for him to know details that the rest of them didn't. That was part of what made him who he was.

They walked on and eventually reached the command center. It was an enormous room with all manner of computer equipment and monitors lining every wall. The Constructicons were present, having moved on after restoring power. Megatron pulled Stormvolt aside before entering the room.

"Find Cyclonus and Mindwipe and then bring them here. Do not contact them with your communicator and do not tell any of the others you are looking for them."

"As you wish," Stormvolt said. Why all the secrecy? With him, there was no telling.

"When you return, the next phase will begin and things will become far more dangerous," Megatron said, with a pleased expression. "Get going. Timing is critical."

"Yes, sir," she said, bowing slightly and successfully hiding her disquiet.

XxXxXxXxX

Cyclonus stood rigidly as he waited to see why he was brought into the center of Darkmount. Nearby, Mindwipe and Stormvolt waited. She was unable to provide any information regarding the summons but did warn him about the change in Megatron's appearance. The Constructicons had been sent elsewhere and only the three of them were command center.

"What is the status of the defense systems?" Megatron said, as he came into the room, he was carrying a small metal case.

"The last tier is being checked right now. Once it is operational, all the emplacements will be ready. Onslaught is in charge of the effort in my absence," Cyclonus said.

Megatron nodded and then held the case in front of him. "Now, for the reason I have called you here. The three of you have been chosen on the basis of ability and loyalty. What you are about to undertake requires great skill and courage with no room for failure." He opened the box and the other three Decepticons regarded the contents curiously.

"These will be the key to reclaiming what is rightfully ours," Megatron said. "Whether the Autobots want to cooperate or not.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

Author's note continued: Yeah, some of you knew that was coming. No way could I leave him in the Galvatron body. If you're having trouble picturing what I'm describing, it's basically the way he looked in the Megatron Origin comic, but with an older face (and none of the gladiator paint. And maybe not the curlicue design on his chest, either.) Don't have the comic? You can Google Image search and see it that way.


	46. The Same Old You

Author's note: And here's the July chapter. I can't believe the year is half over. Thank you for reading and commenting and favorite-ing and whatnot. Transformers belongs to Hasbro and Takara. The chapter title is borrowed from a song of the same name by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers on the Long After Dark CD.

A Blessing and A Curse  
By: Quetzal1

Chapter 45  
The Same Old You

The Autobot ship slowed temporarily as it emerged from the warp gate and into space. On the command bridge, Optimus Prime surveyed his troops and felt an overwhelming sense of pride. Except for those needed on Cybertron, all of them had pitched in to help repair the devastation caused by the Hate Plague and had quickly made things right enough that the humans could continue on their own. And now they were going home. It had been so long since he had seen it…and _her_. Elita One had contacted him soon after the Matrix had worked its magic and that made him even more eager to get back. Naturally (and in this case, unfortunately) he would have to attend to official business first and there would be a great deal of it.

Under the leadership of Rodimus, now once again Hot Rod, the Autobots had made large strides in getting Cybertron up and going again. They had discovered and implemented a power source that would run the entire planet, possibly forever, and many Cybertronian neutrals who fled during the wars were returning and bolstering their numbers. It was, perhaps, the verge of another golden age. Be that as it may, he didn't know what to think about the Decepticons.

Galvatron was almost pleasant when he departed Earth. No doubt the Matrix cured his insanity, but it wouldn't cure him of being a Decepticon. Or would it? Had he learned something from recent events? Would the unimaginable occur and everyone would come together without the need for wars and factions? It was inadvisable for him to get his hopes up, but he couldn't help himself. Think of it. All united as Cybertronian and nothing else. The achievements they made together would be staggering and other planets could benefit as well. But he was getting ahead of himself. There was plenty work to do before they could begin offering regular assistance or advice to other worlds with or without the aid of the Decepticons.

"Beginning approach to Cybertron," said Perceptor, drawing Optimus from his reverie.

"It'll be great to be home again," said Goldbug.

"I can hardly wait," added Kup. "It'll be just like the old days except without the Decepticons lousin' everything up."

"I don't know about that," said Goldbug cautiously.

"What's to worry about? They've got nothing and they're stuck on Chaar. So what if he's back to normal? Galvatron's got nothing to work with. At the worst they'll be a nuisance. Isn't that right, Optimus?" Said Hot Rod.

"As much as I would like to, I would not dismiss them as irrelevant yet," said Optimus. "However, I would not worry unnecessarily, either. There is much to look forward to and which course Galvatron may decide to take will not change that."

XxXxXxXxXxXxX

"Communication intercepted," said Soundwave. "Optimus Prime is approaching Cybertron. Location: Iacon."

"Excellent." Megatron replied. "I have been so looking forward to this moment." And then he transmitted internally. _"Strike team.… Launch."_

XxX

On the roof of Darkmount Cyclonus, Mindwipe and Stormvolt looked at one another briefly. Each of them had stored away in various compartments a shiny, chrome cylinder. When they got to their assigned destinations they would transform to their robot modes and keep the devices in hand, waiting for the command from Megatron to activate them.

"Exercise caution," Cyclonus said. He would have preferred to send the message internally, but any transmitted communication was temporarily banned.

"As much as I can," Stormvolt replied. "You be careful too."

"Of course." By virtue of his speed, Cyclonus was assigned the farthest position from Darkmount. The other two had spots that were closer to their base but equal to one another in distance away. He leapt from the roof, transformed and shot away into the starlit sky.

"Hey, what about me? Doesn't anybody care about ol' Mindwipe?"

Stormvolt turned and regarded him. Was he serious? From the insolent grin, she suspected not and that he was mocking their concern for each other. Nevertheless, why not try to stay on good terms with him?

"Don't get your aftside blown off," Stormvolt said, and then departed.

"They'll never get the chance," Mindwipe called, and then flew off in the opposite direction.

XxX

"That's the last of them. Fire it up," Jazz said, closing a hatch on the mainframe computer. He and Springer had spent many hours on repairs to their sentry facility, but they both knew they were extremely lucky in that Dinobots caught in the grip of the Hate Plague could have done a whole lot more damage that they did.

Springer activated the defense grid and its accompanying sensors, watching as the boot up information crossed the screen. _So far, so-._ He didn't get to finish the encouraging thought. As the last systems came on line, alarms immediately began to blare.

"I guess we didn't get all the bugs out yet," Springer shouted.

"It's not a malfunction…look," Jazz said, pointing at the screen. The monitor had split into three sections, each showing three very different aircraft. Within seconds of one other, they transformed into Decepticons.

"Oh great. What's going on with-" Springer began and then stopped when bright red letters flashed INCOMING MESSAGE at the bottom of the screen.

Springer and Jazz glanced at one another uncertainly before Jazz reached over to tap the appropriate keys to answer the transmission.

The image of the three Decepticons pixilated, went black and then was replaced with the face of Megatron. The mechs were stunned.

"Greetings Autobots. I demand to speak with Optimus Prime at once."

XxXxXxXxXxX

Cyclonus circled the area known as Altihex. It was a large city and he would have liked to explore it further under different circumstances. He transformed and perched himself on a narrow ledge at the top of the tallest structure in the heart of the city. This spot eliminated the opportunity for anyone to ambush him. There was no access to his position from the interior of the building and he was far above the surrounding spires. Any shots at him would have to come from below, barring interference from Sky Lynx, Powerglide or the Aerialbots. According to Megatron, no one would dare to risk a shot at any of them.

He opened a compartment and removed the device Megatron had given him. It was cylindrical and polished to a sparkling finish. He twisted it and pulled back either half to reveal a small control panel in the center. There were three buttons and an indicator light that changed colors according to the status of the object it connected to. He pressed the first button and watched as the indicator glowed red then orange and finally blue as the device made its connection. If he pressed the same button again, it would disconnect. But there would be no going back in all probability. He pressed the second button and watched as the indicator turned green. The third button had a protective cover to prevent accidental activation. If and when the order came, he would move it aside and then press the black button beneath it, then run for his life. At approximately that same moment elsewhere on Cybertron, Stormvolt and Mindwipe were going through the same procedure provided they had reached their destinations with no problems. It was extremely heavy-handed but anything less would be ineffective. Megatron would make his demands, whatever they were, and if the Autobots did not acquiesce, what the humans called Armageddon would be upon them all.

XxXxXxXxXxX

The expressions of confused, thunderstruck awe on the Autobots' faceplates were priceless. Megatron still commanded fear in others and it warmed his spark to see it. What kind of dismay was racing through their processors? What manner of panicked strategy were they already plotting? He had caught them off guard and there was nothing they could do about it. What happened now was for the Autobots to decide. The image coming back to him showed only an empty space for a minute or two and then he heard many footsteps approaching. Optimus Prime stepped into the picture. The mask he wore made it hard to read his expression, but Megatron knew him well and spotted the tiny hint of a wince.

_You were hoping it was a mistake, weren't you? That your soldiers got it wrong. How could _I_ be contacting you? _He thought, and then smiled. "Greetings, Optimus Prime," he said.

"Megatron. Where did you-"

"Right now you would be wise to wonder _why_ I am speaking to you and not how I returned."

"What do you want?" Optimus maintained a neutral expression as more bad news was transmitted to him. Initial reconnaissance from Blurr and Powerglide showed that Darkmount was operational again and on full alert. They must have snuck in during the confusion after the plague. No wonder Galvatron had been so calm. But where was he now?

"That hostility doesn't suit you at all."

"You did not go to all this trouble just to remark on my mannerisms, Megatron."

"Correct. Let us get to the point. I am sure you are painfully aware by now that the Decepticons have reclaimed Darkmount. We have no intentions of stopping there."

"You are sadly mistaken if you think we are going to hand Cybertron over to you."

"Do not presume to know my mind, Prime. I said nothing about the _entirety_ of Cybertron. In fact, I wish to meet face to face with you in order to negotiate terms."

"It's a trick, it has to be," Hot Rod muttered.

"Megatron, in millions of years we have known one another, when have you ever wanted to negotiate anything? We are through dealing with you and the only terms we will discuss are the ones of your surrender, " said Optimus.

"Times have changed, Prime. I realize it could be for the best to have peace between us. But I also know that you might act stubbornly and so I have prepared. Observe closely." The image of Megatron shrank and a view of a desolate plain dominated the bulk of the screen.

"The area you see is about a third of the size of Iacon," said Megatron.

The Autobots were watching the image with confusion. There was nothing there. What did this have to do with it? Out of view of the camera, Megatron slid the guard aside on a device identical to the one Cyclonus had contemplated earlier. He gave them another few seconds to wonder and then pressed the black button. There was a pause and then he felt the floor tremble beneath him as the plain was vaporized.

The Autobots were silent as the smoke slowly cleared to expose a crater that was on fire in places and surrounded by huge, glowing coals.

"You speak of peace and then behave like this?" Optimus said, enraged.

"On the contrary. It could have been avoided had you chosen not to dismiss my proposal with typical Autobot arrogance. Nevertheless, I am willing to give you another opportunity. But if you decide to continue your refusal, know this: Three of my soldiers have located themselves in different areas on Cybertron, as I am certain you are aware. On my command, they will activate devices that will cause additional destruction similar to what you have just witnessed, the only difference being that those explosions will be larger. Furthermore, they will activate the bombs should any of you fire upon them or make any aggressive moves. You have one hour to make a decision." The transmission ended.

XxXxXxXxXxX

Stormvolt was clinging to an antenna like King Kong, atop the tallest structure she could find in Praxus. From there she saw a flash on the other side of the horizon and then a column of fire and smoke that stretched into the upper atmosphere. Several seconds later, a hot wind buffeted her. Holy shit! Yes, Megatron had advised them that they were carrying detonators for extremely powerful bombs that were located in various parts of Cybertron. Always the forward thinker, he had installed them during the Decepticons' reign prior to the arrival of Unicron for just such an emergency. But she wasn't expecting anything like what she saw. In fact, the bombs that she and the others controlled were more powerful. What would those look like going off? Evidently he remained the same in his attitude of 'if I can't have it, no one can.' She wondered what he was demanding in exchange for not blowing the whole place to hell. It seemed unlikely that the Autobots would simply hand over Cybertron after all they had been through. They were not quitters. What happened if they detonated all three bombs and the Autobots wouldn't surrender or whatever Megatron wanted? Were there other bombs no one knew about? She shifted her weight and tried to get more comfortable. It was going to be a long wait.

And wasn't the boss acting odd? He appeared awfully patient, even for him. Perhaps it was because no one had really pissed him off yet. She had the sneaking feeling that when he finally did fly off the handle, it would be a sight to behold and scary as hell. Better not to think about it and enjoy his calm while it lasted.

Praxus was a big place, but it had obviously seen better days. Most of the buildings were in poor condition and that was up high. Street level had to be a bigger mess. She leaned outward and zoomed her optics to get a better view of the ground. It was about as bad as she imagined but extremely interesting nevertheless. It must have been quite a sight before going to rack and ruin. It was only her third time on the planet, but being here felt right in a lot of ways. There was much to learn, but it didn't feel as alien as she thought it would. She was about to return her focus to the surrounding horizons when she caught a glimpse of movement. There was someone down there. Was it an Autobot sniper or spy? If one of them tried anything her orders were to set off the bomb and run for it. Presumably it was possible to get away fast enough. Maybe there was a delay between activation and detonation. Either way, once the button was pushed, there was no going back, even if you destroyed the controller.

Who was down there? She watched the corner of the building where she had seen the movement. Did they know they'd been spotted? Gradually, the mystery 'bot came out of his hiding place. He was soon joined by others. They were all as ragged as their surroundings and appeared to be neither Autobot nor Decepticon. All along she thought the area was deserted. Being a machine eliminated the sick feeling she would have otherwise had upon realizing that this city was indeed inhabited and her orders made no allowances for the populace.

XxXxXxXxXxX

"We've got all three under surveillance, but they aren't doing much," said Springer.

"Other than waiting for Megatron's order to activate the bombs," Optimus Prime replied wearily.

"Why not just take them out?" Hot Rod asked, grateful that this problem hadn't landed in his lap. "Every 'bot out there watching them is a crack shot."

"We cannot risk it. Even the best can make a mistake. If a shot missed the city would be lost. And knowing Megatron, he would set off the other two out of spite." It was like he'd never been gone. No sooner than he got back to Cybertron and Megatron was somehow back and it was business as usual.

"How are the evacuations proceeding?"

"Slowly. It's hard to locate everyone who might be in the affected areas, but we're doing our best."

It was a nightmare. The Matrix was empty and couldn't help them. Optimus was at a loss. They could not give up the planet, but how many innocent lives would be lost if they didn't agree to Megatron's terms? But what were they? Knowing his ancient enemy the way he did, they were almost certainly unacceptable.

That was another confounding series of questions. How did Megatron come back? Where had he been all this time and what happened to Galvatron? It was only during the Hate Plague ordeal that Optimus learned of the suspicions that Galvatron was a reformat of Megatron but they didn't have any real proof. All they knew was he had left after the battle at Autobot City on Earth and had disappeared until now. Nevertheless, it made the most sense, especially in light of other evidence, such as Cyclonus' participation. He was loyal to Galvatron but obviously taking orders from Megatron now. If they had existed as two separate mechs, then Megatron would have destroyed Cyclonus if there was a hostile takeover of leadership. Yes. Megatron was correct. That he existed at all was enough of a threat and how he managed to come back wasn't really important for now. He checked the chronometer. The hour was nearly up.

XxXxXxXxXxX

The Decepticons were on full alert. The Autobots had sent air and ground recon that wisely maintained a safe distance and then quickly withdrew when the blast went off on a nearby empty plain. Tensions were high as were spirits. They were war machines and finally getting to act like it again! No more mining, no more wandering around like derelicts. They had real leadership again and it was a bad day to be an Autobot.

Megatron watched as the minutes counted down. All was in readiness. The additional troops had arrived and were in place on Chaar and some of his best were among those assembled there. A part of him hoped that Prime would refuse his demands, but he knew that would not be for the best. Even with their reinforcements, they remained outnumbered. He had to curb his desire for the immediate, rampant destruction of his enemies and actually work with them, or at least pretend to. It was by far the most outrageous plan he had ever concocted.

Time was up. What would the Autobots do? He pressed a button on the console in front of him and waited as his transmission was acknowledged.

"What is your response, Prime?" He asked as soon as the link was established.

There was a long pause. For a second or two Megatron thought there were audio difficulties and no one had heard him.

"You wish to merely negotiate?" Optimus finally asked.

"For now."

"Will you agree to standard procedure?"

"If you can find a meeting place that is mutually favorable."

"And will you have your troops stand down and withdraw?"

Megatron laughed. "Do be serious, won't you? Without that leverage you may get ideas about double-crossing me. As long as you don't attack us, the cities are safe."

"Very well. We will contact you with the coordinates."

"Don't keep me waiting. I expect to hear from you within the next half hour." Wouldn't it be typical of them to stall in hopes of finding an alternate solution?

"Agreed." The communication link was terminated.

"So what's the plan?" Hot Rod asked.

"The plan is to find a suitable location and then meet with Megatron," Optimus replied.

"Right, and then what? We kick the slag out of him?" Kup asked.

At some times the faith his 'bots had in him was an inspiration. At ones like this it was a huge burden. They didn't seem to understand that sometimes there were no easy answers. Optimus had had enough of war and death and destruction. He would not be responsible for the loss of any more lives if it could be avoided.

"No, it means we talk to him and see what he wants. All of you, monitor communications in case Megatron calls again or something else happens. I'll be in my office," Optimus said, as he turned and walked away. He didn't want to see at the expressions of stunned disbelief any longer than he had to. The next order of business was deciding on a location that the obsessively suspicious Decepticons wouldn't have a problem with. There had to be a good reason why Megatron wanted to negotiate. Perhaps he too was tired of the continual fighting. It didn't seem likely though. But then again, he had the upper hand and still wanted to talk. It was bizarre. The only thing to do was proceed and hope to Primus it wasn't a terrible mistake.


	47. It's Called Snake Oil, Y'all

Author's note: The chapter title is a phrase used in the Steve Earle song "Snake Oil" from the Copperhead Road CD. Also, I know there's a Decepticon from the RID incarnation named Wind Sheer (versus Wind Shear, which is how the actual weather term is spelled. I wrote it as one word.) and there was a minicon in Armada named that too. This is like what happened with Cloudburst. I had the name in mind and the character all thought out before I checked to see if one existed already, so there you go. Thanks for reading and favorite-ing and such. Feel free to comment, if you'd like. Transformers belongs to Hasbro and Takara.

A Blessing and A Curse  
By Quetzal1

Chapter 46  
It's Called Snake Oil, Y'all

XxX

The demands were not nearly as outrageous as Optimus Prime expected and what they meant was extraordinary. The Matrix must have done a better job than they thought. It was nothing short of miraculous. In the beginning, Megatron demanded total control of slightly more than half of Cybertron. After arguing with him for over an hour, the terms had changed to control of an area that equaled a little more than one third of the planet, with the option for any current residents in that area to leave freely if they desired. It was an excellent start, but Optimus wanted to try for additional safeguards.

"If we agree to Decepticon control of the discussed area, I also want your word that neither you nor any of your forces will come anywhere near Earth. The humans have suffered enough," said Optimus.

"I will agree to that only if we are given full control of the entirety of Chaar and are permitted an ambassador to Earth," Megatron said, concealing his inner satisfaction with an annoyed expression. It was the exact opening he was waiting for.

"Chaar? Why?"

"Think of it as a memento. A reminder of what happens when things go too far."

"You are devoid of sentimentality, Megatron. What is the real reason?"

The Decepticon chuckled. "You haven't grown stupid in your time away. Very well, I want it for a training area and outpost. Our policy of exploration and colonization will not be curbed."

Watching from his position behind and to the right of Megatron, Cyclonus admired the choice of words. He had no misgivings that "exploration and colonization" was anything other than a euphemism for "find and conquer." Certainly the Autobots had to realize this too. The mech was pleased to be there. It gave him hope for his future when Megatron had advised him that a replacement was being sent to his location so that Cyclonus could attend this meeting. The rules for summits such as these stated that both parties were allowed two 'bots to accompany them and it wasn't a decision made lightly. Across from Cyclonus and Soundwave stood Ultra Magnus and Hot Rod. Interesting. Perhaps Hot Rod was learning how to be a competent leader under the tutelage of Optimus. He needed the instruction, that much had been proven.

It wasn't an unreasonable request, Optimus mused. Chaar was nothing but a ruin and it would be easy enough to watch for suspicious activity. Free reign over other planets was out of the question. "There must be restrictions in place regarding interactions with inhabited worlds, but we can settle upon those later. I will agree to give you Chaar," said Optimus Prime. "But any ambassador you send to Earth must be stationed at Autobot City and follow the rules that we will determine later."

Megatron scowled fiercely, appearing to weigh his options. There were plenty of uninhabited worlds to exploit until they were ready to do otherwise. Earth was nothing to him other than the means to a couple of potential ends that were achievable another way if circumstances forced it. Chaar however, was another story. He needed to appear annoyed by the idea of restrictions and one of his soldiers having to adhere to whatever rules filthy Autobots decided to lay down. He was extremely close to getting everything he wanted. Well, everything he wanted for now. He must continue to act as his enemies expected and not make them any more suspicious than they already were. Soundwave was advising him via internal communication of the emotive impulses he picked up from Optimus in order to guide the manipulation more smoothly.

"Fine, but I must see your _rules_ before I give approval," he said at last, grudgingly. "And there is one more matter before we adjourn."

Of course there was. There was _always_ one more thing. "What is it?"

Optimus listened. It sounded pointless and petty, but it wasn't a surprise considering whom he was talking to. There wasn't any real reason to argue against the request, and in the long run it would conceivably be doing them a favor.

"All right, Megatron. We will add that as a condition, but you must remove any debris to prevent hazards to space traffic or Cybertron itself."

"Oh, don't concern yourself with that. There won't be anything left when I'm through except subatomic particles."

The expression of pleasure and anticipation on the mech's faceplate gave Optimus pause. Sudden peace aside, going forward they would need to watch the Decepticons closely. "A draft of the treaty will be delivered to you as soon as it is produced. Most likely tomorrow."

"Then shall we adjourn until finalization?"

Optimus nodded and the two leaders rose from the table. "I hope this can be the start of a new era for all of us, Megatron."

"As do I," Megatron replied, with a half grin and dull gleam in his optics. It was a start. That was undeniable. _But not the kind you're hoping for_, he thought.

The six mechs departed from the abandoned raceway that served as their meeting place.

"Cyclonus, alert the strike team members individually of the latest developments. After that, go to Chaar and bring back any available energon. Secure it and then await further instructions."

"As you wish, Mighty One," Cyclonus replied before transforming and gracefully arcing away in the direction of Altihex.

"Soundwave, when we return to Darkmount I want an update within a half hour on Shockwave's progress and any findings from Ravage and Ratbat." Once the Autobots were pacified, the Decepticons were going to have all questions removed as to who ruled them. Examples would be made and he was looking forward to it.

XxXxXxXxXxX

The crowd far below had grown and shrunk but never completely dispersed. Stormvolt watched them watch her as she waited for further orders. Communication was forbidden in the sense of sending any kind of transmission to other Decepticons, but no one had said she couldn't talk to the locals. She had tried yelling at them repeatedly to get out while they could, but for whatever reason, they just kept standing around watching. What was wrong with them? Did they all have a processor deficiency? Presently, she saw a couple of vehicles racing through the streets as fast as the conditions there would allow. Autobots. They must have been on the mid-sized ship that had landed several miles from her position. What were they doing? One of them was a sleek, low-slung vehicle. It approached and transformed and then began to address the crowd. Some of them wandered off in the direction he was pointing, or wandered away randomly, and others continued to hang around. The other Autobot did likewise with the same results. Hmm. Must be an evacuation. Good, although it didn't seem to be entirely successful.

Stormvolt went back to watching the horizons. There were no other explosions as far as she knew, but it was improbable that one would miss it if it happened again. Was that a good sign? It shouldn't come as any surprise that Megatron was willing to take out innocents in the name of whatever he was doing and she wondered what Cyclonus thought about it. It was a low down move. But again, she knew Megatron operated that way. He would get what he wanted by any means necessary. All the things he told her in her human days and when he resided in her head flashed through her memory. She had kept up her end of the deal and helped him get his old self back. Would she still have the option of leaving? It was pointless to offer and he surely knew that. She couldn't quit now. There was nowhere for her to go and she didn't want to give up her relationship with Cyclonus or her friends. She considered the mech and his notions of honor. His might be a good example to follow. Shut up and do what you're told and try to act as honorably as you can, given the circumstances.

The crowd below was the smallest it had been since she arrived. Had the majority finally come to their senses and split? It would be nice to know what was going on. If it were a standoff, she might be up here for weeks. A low hum registered with her audio sensors and eventually rose to a familiar roar. It was Cyclonus. He found her easily and transformed, hovering a few feet from the building's peak before settling himself on the opposite side of the antenna. Stormvolt felt it bend in his direction when he gripped it to maintain balance.

"Greetings," he said.

"Greetings. What are you doing here? Is it over?"

"No. I was recalled by Megatron to attend the negotiations. Someone named Windshear is in Altihex in my place. Do you know him?"

"_Negotiations?_ Are you serious?" She acted as if she only heard the first part of what he'd said.

"Yes. That is hard for you to believe?"

"Given what I know, yes, it is."

"Considering our current situation and troop strength, I do not see what is unusual about it."

"So what you're telling me is that if it all goes right, there will be an actual…peace?"

"In that context, it does sound rather odd." Peace? It wasn't something he ever thought he would experience. He'd never spoken the word before in a serious way.

"It sounds more than just odd. Wow."

They stood there quietly, thinking about the concept.

"I don't know. I can't help but feel that Megatron has other motives somehow," said Stormvolt.

"There is more logic in that idea," Cyclonus agreed.

"How much longer will I be out here?"

"The summit went smoothly. Megatron is awaiting a draft of the treaty, which he will have to approve before both sides can sign. The Autobots are supposed to deliver it as soon as it's finished and estimate possibly tomorrow sometime."

"I see."

"Do you require anything?"

"No. It's been pretty quiet. There was a pair of Autobots here trying to evacuate those guys," she said, pointing downward. "But they didn't even look my way."

Cyclonus leaned forward and peered curiously in the direction indicated before disgust crossed his features. "Those fools will risk their lives for the most asinine reasons."

"Who are they?" Stormvolt asked. "They don't look like us or the Autobots."

"You are correct. They are neither. They are derelicts. Perhaps they were neutrals who didn't leave the planet. It would appear that they do not even transform."

"Oh." How was anyone able to survive here with Cybertron in the state it was in for millions of years during the war and then after Unicron's attack? If they were here all that time, then such tenacity was admirable to her. However, Cyclonus's tone of voice clearly conveyed that he found them beneath contempt. And he likely wouldn't be thrilled to learn of her attempts to get them to leave. Yes, some things were better left unsaid.

"If circumstances permit, I will return this evening," he said, leaning back and flinching slightly.

"Sounds good." It did. Sitting there was boring, despite her being a big target, and company would be nice. She noticed his brief reaction and then his hand was on his side. "Is that bothering you again?"

"I am fine."

"I wish you'd let me see what's going on and fix it."

"It is of no concern," he said, pulling his hand away. "I must attend to another assignment. Do not allow yourself to be lured into a state of complacency," Cyclonus said, as he released the antenna and drifted out and away from the building.

"I won't."

He nodded in acknowledgment and then transformed. Stormvolt watched as he headed for the horizon gaining altitude as he went.

XxXxXxXxXxX

The first version of the treaty was delivered the next day as the Autobots estimated. And then it was returned with revisions. The revisions led to more negotiations (and outright arguments.) Eight days passed before terms acceptable to both sides were drafted. Most of them were due to Megatron being disagreeable for the sake of keeping up appearances. Only two or three points meant anything to him at all, and then it wasn't much. The day finally came to formalize the arrangement.

It was similar to the previous meeting, only this time, Optimus arrived with three additional soldiers to balance the presence of Windshear, Stormvolt and Mindwipe.

One by one, each seeker placed their deactivated detonators on the table where the electronic document was signed and copied onto identical devices for transport and entry into the archives of the respective sides. Once they relinquished them, they left the room.

Megatron added maps with the locations of the bombs. At last the formalities were complete. The Autobots had never, in their wildest dreams expected the day to come.

"Megatron, I hope we can further this good will between our factions. We are all truly nothing but Cybertronian beneath the surface."

_Speak for yourself, Prime_, Megatron thought, and then spoke. "That reminds me," he said, reaching into a storage compartment and retrieving another detonator with a data chip secured to the outside. "I have one last thing for you."

"What?" Optimus Prime asked. He knew what the device was, but there were only three as far as anyone was aware.

"The location of the bomb is on that chip, but as a gesture of _good will_, I'll tell you it is beneath Iacon," Megatron said with a smirk and then turned from the stunned Autobots and walked away.

Cyclonus was baffled but didn't show it, nor did Soundwave who remained as impassive as ever. They waited for Megatron to pass and then they followed him out of the building. Outside the seekers waited, passing the time by exchanging baleful stares with their Autobot counterparts.

"Decepticons, return to Darkmount," said Megatron. "There is much to do and we will begin immediately."

XxXxXxXxXxX

"What do ya think this is all about?" Rumble asked.

"I dunno, but I'd guess it's important," Frenzy replied.

"I wonder if we're gonna attack the Autobots or if they're leavin', "

"They'd never go without a fight. It wouldn't matter if we blew up half of Cybertron."

Stormvolt was with them, but she was too busy observing the room and its occupants to take part in the discussion. They were in the Great Hall, the site for meetings and celebrations. It was enormous and the most ornate of any area in the complex. All of them, save for the sentries in the command center and on Chaar, were assembled in the huge room. The reserves had been summoned from the space station as well, and even with their added numbers the hall was less than a third full. As was his standard operating procedure, Megatron had summoned them but with no further information. The noise level was increasing as the mechs speculated about why they were there. Like Rumble and Frenzy, a number of them felt it was war, others thought that if it were, then they would have been given the order to attack without all this formality. It must be something else. The room fell silent and everyone snapped to attention as Megatron strode out onto the stage at the end of the room, followed by Cyclonus and Soundwave.

"Greetings fellow Decepticons," he said.

"HAIL MEGATRON," the crowd shouted in response.

"A momentous event is upon us. After millions of years the great war is finally over." He paused to let the news sink in. "A peace agreement has been reached with the Autobots whereby we have exclusive control of a portion of Cybertron and all of Chaar."

"How big is this _portion_?" A doubtful voice yelled from near the center of the room. Motormaster.

Megatron smiled. A projection materialized in the air above and behind him. On it, an image of Cybertron glowed. Two red lines began to run from one pole to the other and then the area inside them turned the same red as the lines. Beside it, the exact boundary coordinates illuminated in bright yellow.

"This part of Cybertron belongs to us now. Take note of the coordinates because anyone who strays out of the area without proper documentation or permission is subject to whatever action the Autobots see fit to administer."

"But that's not much more than a third of the planet!" Another voice complained. Brawl.

"I know this is asking a lot of you, but think," said Megatron. "Currently, there are not enough of us to effectively wage a successful campaign against the Autobots but with _this_ arrangement we have a foothold. Further, full control of Chaar and its resources allows us an advantage. It is all a matter of patience, time and planning."

There was a murmur of assent throughout most of the crowd. It made sense.

"Rest assured that the Autobots will watch us as closely as they can, which is why none of you will do anything to provoke them. We will lull them into a state of complacency. They are not war machines like us and they have a ridiculous habit of wanting to believe the best of everyone."

The assembly made more sounds of approval and Megatron saw most of them nodding in agreement.

"As you know, the majority of Cybertron is in disarray. Its restoration, along with the construction of barriers at our borders will be our top priorities. To achieve this as efficiently as possible will require a strong chain of command. Some positions have changed, others will remain as before. In the future I will assign other positions as the need arises. Come to the front and be recognized when I announce you."

There was a sudden, general sense of low-grade excitement in the room. Many of the old superiors were gone which meant the possibility of advancement.

Megatron waited for the crowd to settle and then began his announcements. "The Constructicons under the leadership of Scrapper are in charge of repairs and creation of infrastructure." They made their way to the front of the room. There was no applause or sounds of encouragement. Megatron continued. "Because of the enormity of the tasks before us, many of you will be temporarily assigned to their crews." There were groans of disappointment. No one wanted to do the heavy lifting.

"Soundwave remains the counterintelligence and communications Minister," Megatron said, gesturing to his right. "Scourge will be his deputy and the Sweeps will be assigned to Scourge."

Like nearly everyone else, Stormvolt turned to look at each 'bot when they were mentioned. In the crowd, various faces showed disappointment, resignation, neutrality and, rarely, interest. She immediately pinpointed where Scourge and the Sweeps were by the way the crowd got out of their way as if contact would give them a disease. If they knew he used to be Thundercracker would it be any different? When they joined the others, the announcements continued.

"Cyclonus is second in command and Air Commander..."

_Well, now he doesn't have to worry about his place in the great scheme of things, _Stormvolt thought, with some pride.

"And Deputy Air Commander is Stormvolt."

"Who?" Whispered someone in the crowd nearby.

"Never heard of 'em," another voice replied.

She couldn't have heard that right. There had to be another more qualified for the job than her. Stormvolt was immobile for a second or two then felt a rough shove forward on either side as Rumble and Frenzy got her moving. When she got to the foot of the stage with the others, she saw that Cyclonus was watching her, obviously pleased, as was Megatron.

"And last, but certainly not least, Shockwave is the Minister of Science. He is not present at the moment, but will be joining us shortly. Decepticons, these are your superiors. You will treat them with respect or else you will suffer the consequences."

Megatron was about to move on to the next matter when an angry voice spoke up.

"Slag that!" The crowd moved away quickly to expose Motormaster and Wildrider. Motormaster looked pissed and Wildrider, quite uneasy. Vortex and Brawl had been close by too, but had sense enough to fade back with the crowd.

"You have something to add?" Megatron asked, as though he really cared.

"What's the big idea of giving all the good jobs to those guys? What about us, the ones who have been with you longer?" Compared to most of the other 'bots, the Stunticons were newcomers, but that didn't deter his rant.

"Ah, yes. You should be recognized and get what is coming to you. Motormaster, you and Wildrider come forward and bring Vortex and Brawl along."

Motormaster smirked at Vortex. See? Sometimes you have to stand up for yourself to get what you want. Vortex was in shadow and no one saw his momentarily panicked expression. This was bad, and there was no escape.

As the Stunticons and Combaticons glanced at each other, they didn't see Megatron gesture toward a group of soldiers standing nearby. Stormvolt noticed them quickly moving through the crowd and taking up strategic positions. The group she was a part of suddenly parted in the middle allowing a wide path between Megatron and the oncoming 'Cons.

"Allow me to make sure I understand. You feel that because you've been around longer, you should have a position of authority. Is that correct?" Megatron asked pleasantly.

"Yeah, that's right," Motormaster said.

"Sir, he doesn't speak for us and -, " Vortex began.

"Silence. You don't need to dig your hole any deeper," Megatron said, all semblance of good humor vanished. He leapt from the stage and landed directly in front of the four mechs.

"To serve as one of my officers, one must have intelligence. But more importantly, one must be loyal."

"We're loyal," said Brawl.

Beside him, Vortex winced. _Shut up you idiot,_ he thought.

"You call plotting an ill-conceived and poorly executed coup loyal, Brawl?" Megatron asked and watched their stunned expressions. "Yes, I know all about your dealings with the Quintessons and placement of weapons in hopes of destroying me."

"But we, didn't know it was you and…" Motormaster protested, before Megatron punched him squarely in the face and knocking him on his back.

"As I said before, things are different now. Before I may have been content with merely beating respect into you, but no more," Megatron said, nodding at Shockwave who joined the others on the stage. "Behold," he continued, gesturing toward the stage.

A panel at the back of the space opened up and a section of floor moved forward. Upon it sat a device no one, save Shockwave and Megatron had seen before, at least, not in this incarnation. It had a large chair and a section that Stormvolt thought resembled those old fashioned, helmet style hair dryers that used to be common in beauty shops. There were all kinds of lines and conduits. It looked like an extremely complicated piece of machinery. Complicated and sinister.

"You refuse to learn in the usual ways, therefore, a more permanent method of education is called for. This is a behavior modification device. It will instruct you in the ways of proper conduct."

The four Decepticons stared at it with growing unease, particularly Brawl and Vortex. There was something familiar here.

"It has new features but there wasn't an opportunity to test them before now. We also did not get around to coming up with a new name so we'll use the one familiar to you all. Decepticons, I give you the newest version of the Robo-Smasher."

"No! You can't do this to us," said Wildrider. He wasn't familiar with the device, being created after its usage but he didn't want to be a test subject.

"Oh, but I can and I will," said Megatron.

"Stunticons, combine!" Motormaster smirked and transformed. Wildrider did likewise but nothing else happened. Where were the others?

"Give it up and face your punishment," said Megatron. "The others won't be coming to your aid."

Motormaster transformed back to his robot mode and frantically glanced around for the rest of his team and then he saw them. Drag Strip and Breakdown were restrained by two huge mechs he had never seen before and Deadend was merely standing there. He was resigned to his fate and wasn't going to fight and make it worse.

And it could be worse, he knew that.

Nearby, Onslaught stood with a very uptight Blast Off and Swindle. They had yet to be singled out, but if Megatron wished it, Onslaught would be happy to hand over the other two. His mind was remarkably clear after the restoration by the Matrix, but that didn't mean he lost his memories of what transpired before. They were hazy and vague, but they were there. How dare they threaten him and attempt to change the leadership of the Combaticons. Thinking about it made him angry all over again, and for a few seconds he was tempted to suggest they get the same treatment. Only the threat of his being included stopped him.

XxXxX

There was a brief and one-sided tussle, but ultimately, each offender took his turn in the new and improved Robo-Smasher as the crowd watched. There was mostly silence in the audience as each bot was forced into the chair and the restraints were put in place. It wasn't until the big, helmet like apparatus was lowered over their head and the machine activated that there was uncomfortable shuffling and murmuring. Tortured screaming had that effect on a group of bystanders. Mostly. Stormvolt glanced around. Several mechs appeared to be enjoying the show. She made a point to remember their faceplates. Anybody who liked this was one to watch out for.

Motormaster was the last to go. Instead of one jolt, he was made to endure three extended ones. After the first, Megatron considered.

"Just to ensure we've wiped out any traces of rebelliousness, do it again," he said. Shockwave nodded and threw the switch. Motormaster screamed and his frame strained at the metal straps confining him. At last the machine was turned off.

"Again," Megatron said, his expression neutral.

Once more Motormaster shrieked. Stormvolt had seen more than enough but leaving was out of the question. And she didn't want to appear squeamish. What did Cyclonus make of this? He was standing in the same spot as before but his faceplate betrayed nothing as far as his emotions went. He would be marvelous at poker. The screaming stopped and Shockwave said something to Megatron. Stormvolt couldn't make out what it was, but she had a good guess: they'd better stop before they killed him.

"Very well," Megatron said. "Release him." He watched as the mech was freed from the machine. Motormaster showed no sign of emotion or normal awareness.

"Stand with the others over there," Megatron commanded. Motormaster did as he was told moving slowly as if in partial recharge. The four reprogrammed mechs stood in a line off to one side of the stage.

"Take a good look and remember what you see," said Megatron. "Betrayal comes at a heavy price. Should any of them cross me again, there will be no alternative but death."

As if he'd merely told them of the current weather conditions, Megatron continued. "In the following days, schedules and duty rosters will be created and assignments made. This is but the first step in rebuilding Cybertron to our liking. You will be expected to work hard, perhaps harder than you ever have before." He paused to let the words sink in. "However, it has been a trying time for all of us. So for tonight and the next two cycles, you are free to do as you wish. In fact, here's something to get you started." Along one wall was an enormous doorway. Each 'bot watched as the two doors slid back out of sight on either side. The next room was similar to the great hall except that there was seating and a long counter that ran down the longest wall like a bar. It was piled high with energon cubes.

"The four of you, get in there and serve the others," Megatron said to the newly reprogrammed Decepticons.

"Yes, Megatron," they answered in unison, slowly as if hypnotized.

"Enjoy yourselves, my warriors," Megatron said, gesturing toward the doorway. This was going to be fun.


	48. Getting to Know You

Author's note: Now that they're a big dysfunctional family again, I'm going to start using characters that we know survived but haven't appeared in the story thus far. If I need them I may borrow some from the Bay-verse too. Having said that, given the time frame of the story, some of them might be written differently, though I try not to go all out of character with them. For instance, Sunstorm makes an appearance in this chapter. In the cartoon he showed up in the background a time or two and that was all. Other continuities usually write him as a religious zealot. That's cool, but you have to think he wasn't always like that which is how I use him here. He hasn't gotten to that point yet although he's headed that way. Blackout could show up but he wouldn't be a total Megatron fanatic yet, you get the idea. Believe it or not, depending on how the real world goes, I think I might get this finished up next year. Thanks for reading and commenting and favorite-ing. I appreciate it. Transformers belongs to Hasbro and Takara, not me.

A Blessing and A Curse  
By: Quetzal1

Chapter 47  
Getting to Know You

Things were fairly civilized in the beginning but it didn't take long for the crowd to loosen up under the influence of the Ranazite derived energon from Chaar and the ordinary remnants that were stored in Darkmount. How long before they started mining the element and converting it in earnest? Stormvolt didn't know, and she wasn't going to worry about it, not tonight. No one else she saw behaved like they had much on their minds besides having a good time, either. Everywhere mechs were carousing. Most of them were getting along famously, though she noticed that the group had mostly segregated itself along the lines of seekers and non-seekers. There was some interaction here and there, but not a lot. Hard to believe she was now in charge of them to a certain degree.

That was still difficult to get a handle on. Why her? Surely any one of these guys was more experienced and better suited for the job than she. If the opportunity arose and there was a tactful way to do it, she would ask. The line at the bar was moving unhurriedly but eventually she was next. The mech in front of her demanded a couple of energon cubes and Wildrider provided them, moving stiffly and slowly. The mech took them and turned. His gaze went to immediately behind Stormvolt and then to her. He nodded and went on his way when she returned the gesture. _Wonder who that was_, she thought. There were going to be a lot of new names and faces to remember.

Stormvolt had been sitting at a table with Megatron, Cyclonus, Soundwave and Scrapper (who came and went.) At first she thought Onslaught would join them too, but he stayed away. She didn't blame him. He was probably embarrassed about what his guys had gotten up to and worried he might get the same punishment if Megatron became annoyed in the slightest. Scourge and the Sweeps were off to themselves in a far corner. That was normal for them but she wondered if their new assignment to work under Soundwave was viewed as a demotion. Titles and rank were confusing to her. Cyclonus was second in command and also Air Commander. Stormvolt was Deputy Air Commander but that didn't make her third in command. That likely fell to Soundwave or possibly Shockwave. There she went, thinking about business instead of enjoying herself.

No one at her table was anywhere near close to as over-energized as many of the other mechs were becoming. Cyclonus appeared to be trying hard not to get that way. She doubted that he would have touched the energon much at all if Megatron hadn't made a casual comment about refusing his hospitality that sounded as if he were insulted by such behavior, which really made it more a vague, vague threat. It would be good for Cyclonus to loosen up. Of course he'd never had the opportunity before and maybe he didn't know how. She'd help him with that later, heh. Boy, the energon was having more of an effect than she thought, but it wasn't bad enough that she couldn't act right in front of the others.

"I need two cubes," she said to Wildrider, stifling the natural urge to add "please". He said nothing but proceeded to get them. It was eerie to watch him move so…well, mechanically for lack of a better word, considering they were robots. His stare was blank and devoid of any personality whatsoever. They were much like Shadow and the other F-4s. Was it a permanent condition? If it wasn't, and they remembered any of it, they'd be apt to mind their manners better from then on. And after that display, the rest would too, if any of them had previously dared to consider doing anything to the contrary.

It wasn't like they didn't know the risk they were running. Wildrider placed the cubes on the bar in front of Stormvolt and then stared ahead blankly, waiting for the next command. She carefully stacked the cubes and then pulled them from the counter. Yes, getting up and moving around was intensifying the effects of the energon and it wasn't unpleasant at all. But it would be wise to slow the intake. Getting drunk and stupid felt like a bad idea. Later, perhaps, but not now. She turned from the bar to be greeted by two seekers she hadn't met formally yet. As they leaned unsteadily on one another they smiled, but there was insolence in their manner. Especially in the one closest to her.

XxX

It was a fine sight and it would only improve. Megatron surveyed the room and watched the mechs talking and becoming more boisterous. He would leave soon and allow them to continue their revels and get it out of their systems before the real work began. It was anemic when compared to past celebrations but that would change. One day the Great Hall and this lounge would be standing room only. It was merely a matter of patience.

He shifted his view and observed Vortex, Brawl, Motormaster and Wildrider. It wasn't probable, but if they misbehaved again, they would face public execution. He would hate to lose two combiners, but there would be others to replace them eventually. In the corner of his vision, he saw Cyclonus watching the others and toying with the tumbler of energon before him on the table. So very serious. His leadership style was going to be a lot different than that of the late, unlamented Starscream. How would the others adapt? Presumably Stormvolt would have a tempering effect on his personality and it would balance everything out. If not, that was fine. Many seekers were lacking in discipline, especially after a long period away from combat. A little hardship would do them good.

"How long to you think it will take to whip them into fighting condition?" Megatron asked.

"First I must see what I have to work with but I do not think it will be a lengthy process, Mighty One," Cyclonus replied.

"I have all confidence in your abilities. We must be combat ready before we can move on to other matters."

"What other matters?" Cyclonus asked, looking at Megatron who was observing the room again.

"In addition to securing our borders and revitalizing the infrastructure, there are also the matters of general reconstruction and repatriating the derelicts who infest our cities. But it isn't all drudgery," Megatron said, glancing at Cyclonus with a small leer before directing his gaze across the room toward the bar. "When all is in readiness, we will also need to undertake… _repopulating_ the planet."

Cyclonus was disturbed by the grin and it got worse when he followed his leader's gaze to see Stormvolt and a seeker he didn't know having a discussion.

XxX

Such arrogance. Stormvolt wondered if most seekers were going to be like this. On the other hand, they were both obviously over energized. The mech who was nearest to her had introduced himself as Flashburn and he did most of the talking. His sidekick was Turbulence and he seemed to be amused to no end to watch them interact as he ordered energon and stepped to the side to wait on it. Flashburn liked to brag and she wondered if there was any truth to his claims. Both he and Turbulence were the same build as Mindwipe, which meant they transformed into tetrajets, as opposed to many others who had been on earth and were obviously F-15s.

"Why haven't I heard of you before?" Flashburn asked.

Damn, how many times was this going to come up and what would be the best answer? The less they knew the better. "I was in stasis on Earth for several of their years, then I went to Chaar."

"Yes, but before then. I knew _all_ the femmes and I'm sure I'd recall _you_," he said, giving her the blatant once over with his optics.

"Don't you think it would be wise to be a bit more polite?" Stormvolt asked, remembering she was in charge here and didn't have to put up with this nonsense if she didn't want to.

"Oh, I'm only making conversation."

"Ya better mind those maaaaaan-ners," said a voice in sing-song fashion. It was Rumble, whose place in line had become even with them.

"Get lost, pipsqueak," said Flashburn. Turbulence snickered.

Stormvolt watched with annoyance. What nerve. Rumble worked directly for Soundwave. Did that mean he was of higher rank than these two? Perhaps they had a problem with authority that came out when they'd had too much to drink, like humans who got drunk and told off the boss at the office Christmas party.

"Just tryin' ta give ya a friendly warning," said Rumble. It was obvious this poor, dumb slagger didn't know that his actions were going to run him afoul of more than the femme, though that was bad enough. The small mech saw that Cyclonus and Megatron were watching this exchange with interest.

"Warning? We're getting acquainted with our new boss," said Turbulence.

"Now where was I…?" Said Flashburn. "Right! I was about to suggest you and I go somewhere more private, where we can get to know one another better."

Was this idiot serious? The first time he meets one of his new supervising officers and he makes a pass at them. Nice. And right after that scene with the Robo-smasher. Okay, she could be an A-grade hard ass, or let it go with one last warning.

"You are obviously over energized. I am willing to overlook it this once, but in the future you should conduct yourself appropriately," said Stormvolt flatly, as she placed her energon cubes on a table to the side and behind her. Better have her hands empty incase this went somewhere. She noticed that the noise level had dropped and many 'bots were watching the developments.

"You're right," said Flashburn, contritely.

"Very well," Stormvolt said, and turned to retrieve her cubes. It was then that Flashburn reached out and tweaked one of the down turned flaps on the trailing edge of her wing.

"There, was that better?" He said. Turbulence laughed uproariously.

"It sucks ta be you, pal," Rumble said, moving away.

"What are you-" Flashburn began. He didn't get any more out before Stormvolt turned on him like a rattlesnake. He had an instant to make out something flickering brightly in her hands before she grabbed both he and Turbulence, and then the world went static-y and dark.

Both mechs lay in a heap on the floor with tiny tendrils of white smoke rising from certain joints. Turbulence moaned quietly. They would live, but they'd certainly feel it when they were fully online again.

She stood over them ready to go again. Did they need another hit to drive home the point? An F-15 styled seeker rushed to survey the scene. He was mostly yellow with orange and white trim.

"Idiots," he said with obvious disgust, giving them a kick before turning to Stormvolt. "My apologies. These two can't handle their energon."

"Who are you?"

"My designation is Sunstorm. I am their squadron commander. Or, I was. Whether or not I continue is the Air Commander's decision."

"I see. For now carry on in that capacity. I will leave their punishment to you."

"As you wish."

XxX

When it became obvious that the conversation among the seekers was going awry, Megatron asked Cyclonus if he was going to intervene.

"No," Cyclonus replied.

"Why not?"

"Being new, smaller than the others and assigned a position of power, it is natural to assume that the other Decepticons will confront her authority. It is her responsibility to institute unchallenged leadership."

They watched as she attempted to allow the mechs to leave without incurring any punishment.

"As always, she attempts the diplomatic route," said Megatron.

"And I suspect that route has just closed," Cyclonus said, when he saw Flashburn reach out behind her and then the femme's optics blaze a brilliant green. He would have liked to show the flier the grave error of his ways but what he told Megatron was the truth. She would have to establish herself without his help if she were going to be taken seriously.

They watched as the seekers were instantly enveloped in a dancing white light for a second and then fell.

"It appears you are correct," said Megatron. "Convey my approval, will you?"

"You are departing?"

"For now. Enjoy yourselves," he said to the group at the table as he stood, offering no further explanation. "And, Cyclonus?"

"Yes?"

"I've noticed that you behave as though you have a malfunction or damage. Have it repaired as soon as possible."

"As you command." Nothing got past their leader. Cyclonus assumed he was successfully hiding the sharp but short-lived pains that struck when he moved certain ways. Obviously not as well as he thought. With anyone else he would have argued that he was fine. He shifted around in his seat to get more comfortable. Stormvolt could repair whatever it was, though not tonight. Shockwave was likely available right now but there was no way he would allow the scientist to put a hand on him. That one would require close scrutiny in the future.

XxXxXxXxXxX

The evening went on with nearly everyone in the room becoming more rowdy. Here and there were mechs who had over energized and gone offline. Their companions simply moved them out of the way to keep them from becoming a tripping hazard and then continued their revels.

Stormvolt was feeling the effects of the energon more strongly. She tried to go easy but it was bound to catch up with her. Cyclonus was as deadpan as always. A number of the seekers now under his command had ventured up to greet him, some staying for a few minutes, others getting away as fast as was possible but still polite. Hopefully once they got to know each other better, relations between sides would be more relaxed, but for now the seekers were being careful. It wasn't surprising. After that it began to get dull.

"I am going to see how the Decepticons on duty are faring," said Cyclonus, rising from his seat. He swayed a tiny amount, it was almost unnoticeable and it was the only hint that he'd had any energon at all.

"You mean you're going to see if they're goofing off," said Stormvolt with a grin.

"Do you care to join me?" He wasn't exactly familiar with the term "goofing off" but intuitively he had an idea of what it meant.

"No. If you don't mind, I think I'm going go walk around. There's a lot of this place I haven't seen yet." They left together, each going in the opposite direction once outside the Great Hall.

XxX

It was deathly quiet in the long passageways. Early on at irregular intervals she happened upon mechs who had offlined here and there and once she accidentally interrupted a couple who were getting cozy. Now that she had wandered far from the hall, there was no one.

Darkmount was a hard place for someone new to find their way around in. Her steps echoed against the metal floor and walls. If she chose to transform and take off, the noise would be deafening. That wasn't going to happen now, however. It was hard enough to find what she wanted at walking speed. The hallway ended in an intersection. Left or right? For no real reason she turned right, and it ended up being the proper decision. There were placards bearing names to the left of the doors. She had found a residential area.

There were many names she didn't know. Were the previous occupants some of the offlined mechs she'd seen in the hallways or back at the party? Or were they dead? What a thought to have in a place like this. She shook her head and then lurched sideways. Yow, that energon had a sneaky punch. She straightened her course and kept going, pausing to read each nameplate until at last she began to recognize them. Here were the quarters for Dirge, Ramjet and Thrust. Would the only survivor of that trine still want to live here? It would be awfully lonely and full of memories. How long would it be before he had new wingmates? She was tempted to go in and have a peek, but since it belonged to Thrust, that wouldn't be right. And what if he was in there? Furthermore, what if he wasn't alone? She wouldn't want to intrude on that.

Next door was another nameplate bearing the designations of Flashburn, Turbulence and Sunstorm. She winced on the inside. Perhaps she'd been a touch heavy handed in dealing with those two. Hopefully they learned from it and so did others without needing to get zapped. Of the three, Sunstorm seemed to be decent, unless it was an act to avoid trouble. The parade of unknowns got longer and longer but it would eventually get sorted out. Apparently, Megatron was fine with the way she handled it. Not that she should go by the examples he set. Talk about heavy handedness. She smiled a little, imagining him as the HR director of a corporation. His firings there would be of the literal variety.

It was a long hallway and she came upon more unfamiliar names. Were all these seekers? The way they tended to separate themselves from the others would suggest it, but then again, forcing them to mingle with non-seekers by living beside them could be a good idea too. Near the end she found what she was looking for and also dreading a little. The metal plate beside the door had only two names. Thundercracker and Skywarp wouldn't be coming back here. What harm would it do if she checked it out?

First came getting in the door. There was an electronic lock beside it. Cybertronian numerals were on the keypad. But what was the combination? It was possible to stand here for hours trying and never get it. Unless… the power outage affected it. There were probably surges too that would play havoc with it. She jabbed the button on the bottom marked OPEN and waited. The keypad flashed randomly and a message on the readout simply read ASSIGN CODE. Ah! It _had_ reset. She picked a set of numbers and then hit the OPEN button again. The doors slid apart silently.

Stormvolt didn't know what she was expecting, but it wasn't what she saw. As she slowly entered, the lights came up to full brightness quickly but gradually. The door from the hall opened into a large room that she guessed was a common area or living room. There were two chairs, both of which were raked back at an angle and constructed to accommodate those with an aircraft alt mode. There were two others of a more traditional design that were on either side of a console that sat beneath a large screen opposite the door. Above the screen was a bigger item. It wasn't a painting but instead, there were designs engraved into the metal panel. It looked like the aftermath of an extremely difficult geometry class. The lines were added so that the play of light on it when the observer moved, made it appear like the lines were moving too. It was beautiful. Neither of the mechs had said anything to her that revealed them as art connoisseurs, but what did she know about them really? They had lived for millennia and their life at home was certainly different than on Earth. Or it may have come with the room, like in a hotel. Or possibly one of them got it simply because they liked it. Her old apartment had been decorated with several framed prints that fit that description.

Also on the same wall as what she was already thinking of as the TV, were two more doors, smaller than the entrance. There were no locks on the outside. The other places must have had a third room. Those two were fortunate to not have to share with Starscream. He likely got private quarters because of his rank.

She went to the one on the left side first. When she was close enough, the door opened and the light inside the room came on in the same manner as the one outside. It was definitely someone's personal chambers. On one side of the room was a recharge platform. On the other was a desk with a computer station built in. Inset into a wall was a set of drawers. And beside that was a door to a tiny balcony. One wall featured more of the engraved art. Whose was this? Stormvolt turned slowly, taking it in. Beside the door hung a plaque. It was inscribed with the Decepticon insignia and another symbol she read as "fearless."

AWARDED TO THUNDERCRACKER FOR EXCEPTIONAL BRAVERY IN COMBAT

BATTLE OF IACON

How about that. What did he do that was so exceptional? When things calmed down, she was going to spend some cycles in the historic archives, assuming they had them. She took a last glance around and left. The other room could only belong to Skywarp and she was curious to see what it was like.

It was practically identical to Thundercracker's room except that the placement of all the furnishings was the opposite. And she didn't see any awards. For whatever reason, she expected it to be messy. The only thing out of place was the desk chair. It was on its back as if the last time Skywarp left, he had been in a hurry and knocked it over. Other than that it was spotless. None of the rooms were even dusty, but then with no organic material around they shouldn't be. There were shelves on the wall holding objects under transparent domes. What were they? She approached them carefully and quietly, like someone viewing items of antiquity in a museum.

Upon closer inspection, she didn't know what the majority of the items were. Beneath one dome was an orange tinted stone that floated a few inches above the surface of the base. It turned slowly and never changed height. Beneath another was a chunk of stone streaked with Ranazite that glowed softly. Did he know what it was when he found it or did he just think it was cool and kept it? Surely if anyone in charge knew about it they would have been digging up Chaar to get the rest. Did it come from somewhere else?

Of all the crystals and stones, Stormvolt could only identify the Ranazite. It was a nice collection, but was any of it dangerous? Maybe he had an extensive knowledge of geology and she never knew because nothing on Earth caught his fancy, although, it would be highly unusual for a flier to be that interested in what was in the ground. She thought she had seen the entire collection but there was one more container sitting alone on its own shelf.

A tiny light suspended above the dome shone down, illuminating its contents starkly. She knew the object well. On a raised platform draped with black fabric rested one of her old spears, the kind that didn't have an energon charge. It was now rendered tiny by her change in size it but still looked wickedly sharp. She was absurdly touched. He must have taken one of the spares from her room in the submerged headquarters.

She sat down on the recharge platform and stared up at the old weapon. It was tempting to see else Skywarp left behind in the drawers on the desk and in the wall, but that felt wrong. Technically it all belonged to either Cyclonus or Bombshell and she wished she knew which one. The video from Unicron cut out before she was able to see who was who. Did the coding have some info? Now that Megatron was himself again, had his policy changed regarding telling those guys who they were?

Maybe they were happier not knowing, or, like Cyclonus, didn't care. She knew without a doubt who Scourge used to be, and if he knew, would he want to do something about it? There was also the possibility he liked being the way he was now, but that was hard to believe with the way everyone avoided him and the Sweeps like they did. Of course they might not mind that at all. Being mysterious and scary could have advantages. Whatever. She was driving herself nuts with all the what ifs. As usual.

It was time to go back and survey the debauchery level of the party. How long had she been gone? Her internal chronometer showed that it had been hours. Yeah, better wrap this up. She got up and went back out to the common area, stealing one last glance at the spear before the light went out.

XxXxXxXxXxX

Enroute back to the lounge she wondered if returning to the party was a bad idea.

XxX

Along the way, she encountered many more mechs off line in odd places than previously. In one intersection of hallway she had nearly been run over by a wheeled assault vehicle that was intently pursuing a smaller, but no less armored machine.

The room was much quieter than before. Ravage sat on the bar drinking energon directly from a cube while the four "re-educated" 'bots stood by, impassive and waiting for the next order. Strewn about were the chassis of many more offlined Decepticons. A group of them were seated at a table with their heads down, oblivious to the fact that Rumble and Frenzy were carefully placing empty cubes and tumblers on them and around them until eventually they would be completely covered.

"This'll be terrific," said Frenzy.

"We shoulda welded 'em ta their chairs first," said Rumble.

"Good idea, but I don't wanna move all this junk again. We'll do that ta those guys over there."

"What's going on?" Stormvolt asked quietly.

"Hey, Blue," said Rumble. "You're just in time."

"Yeah, we're havin' some fun with our pals here," Frenzy added.

"Won't this be awfully easy to escape from?" She asked.

"That's not the point, see," said Frenzy.

"What happens is that when one of 'em starts ta come out of it, they move and bring the whole thing down. The noise will scare the slag outta them," said Rumble.

"That sounds pretty tame for you two."

"It would be, but this guy here is jumpy and if it's bad enough, he'll start blastin' or throwin' punches," said Frenzy, pointing at yet another mech Stormvolt didn't know.

"Isn't that kind of dangerous?"

"Nah, we turned down his weapons. It'll hurt, but that's all."

"And when we finish this we're gonna weld parts of those other guys ta the floor," Rumble said, gleefully. "Wanna help?"

"No, that's okay," Stormvolt replied, unable not to smile at their malicious creativity.

"We're ready for a break anyway," said Frenzy. "And it's your turn, Rumble."

"Yeah, yeah. I'll be right back." Rumble made his way to the bar and got a stack of energon cubes.

They sat at an empty table and downed the cubes, not bothering to find something smaller to put the energon in. While they did Stormvolt learned the names and several embarrassing facts about many of the mechs surrounding them. One cube turned into six or seven in quick succession, the femme lost track as her circuits started to hum and buzz. She'd better find a safe spot and call it a night.

"Okay, I've had enough, I think," she said.

"Are you sure you don't wanna help?" Frenzy asked.

"Maybe next time."

"Suit yourself, but it's gonna be great!" Rumble said.

Leaving, she heard Frenzy have a burst of inspiration. "Hey, let's not only weld 'em ta the floor, let's stick some of 'em ta each other!"

XxX

And now she was wandering around, not lost exactly, but uncertain of where to go. In her mildly over energized state, most of her systems didn't function properly including those for tracking and navigation. Damn it, she knew Cyclonus was around here somewhere because she got his signature off and on. However, it was exceedingly hard to get a fix on it and simultaneously find her way to him.

But all things considered, she was in a good mood and started humming a tune before breaking into song. All the recent days spent holding part of Cybertron hostage allowed Stormvolt to become reacquainted with all the music downloads she'd swiped before leaving Earth the first time. She was better than she used to be. Her systems enabled a graphical comparison between an actual recording and her own voice. She wasn't good, but at least she was on key now. The slight improvement didn't garner any admirers.

"Stop that shrieking and come in here," a raspy voice commanded.

For a moment the seeker was annoyed by Megatron's calling her rendition of "Rock 'n Roll All Nite" shrieking, and then she was confounded by a sense of déjà vu. That was followed by a sort of dizziness as suddenly the world righted itself and she knew precisely where she was.

The doors to his office were open. And she hesitantly entered. The lighting was rather dim but she adjusted her optics and saw him sitting at the large desk centered at one end of the room. Energon glowed pinkly from within a beautifully decorated container and a partially gone cube in front of him. He produced another of the containers, which resembled crystal, from behind the desk.

"Sit down and join me, won't you?" He said, gesturing toward a nearby chair.

It was a perfectly friendly invitation and it didn't spook the femme at all until the doors closed behind her.


	49. A Friendly Chat

Author's note: Thanks for reading and commenting, etc. It's always appreciated. Here's 48. Enjoy. Transformers belongs to Hasbro and Takara, not me.

A Blessing And A Curse  
By: Quetzal1

Chapter 48  
A "Friendly" Chat

The office was a nice but not luxuriously appointed place, which befitted its owner. Stormvolt glanced around as she walked to one of two chairs positioned on the side of the desk opposite Megatron. It was a big room. One wall featured huge windows that reached from the floor to far above her head. Beside them were doors that opened out to a balcony far larger than the ones outside Thundercracker and Skywarp's old home. There were none of the engraved pictures. Most of the walls were taken up with monitors of various sizes, cabinets and shelves that held items she was unfamiliar with. There was a niche in one corner that housed what she presumed was a sculpture of some sort. It looked delicate and out of place with the rest of the surroundings. The entire set up was dominated by the desk/console that Megatron sat behind. The femme took the utmost care to walk normally and not betray the fact that she'd already had too much energon for one night. It probably didn't fool him though. He had a freakish talent for seeing through nearly any act she put on, especially lately.

"Did you ever think you would see the day when you and I were here like this?" Megatron said, holding both arms out in an expansive pose.

"Not until we figured out what was in my head and what to do with it I mean you," Stormvolt said, correcting herself. "No offence intended, Mighty One," she added, lowering herself gently into the chair instead of flopping into it the way she would have otherwise.

"None taken," Megatron said. Ah, this reminded him of his days on Earth, but with vast improvements. "A tremendous portion of the credit for our return goes to you, of course."

"Is that why you made me Deputy Air Commander?"

"In part. Loyalty should be rewarded. Why do you ask?"

"I mean, I'm honored that you selected me for the job, but isn't there someone out there way more qualified?"

"Nonsense. You have the potential for greatness. In fact, you have already exceeded my expectations."

"I'm glad." She was, mainly because bad, bad things happened when he wasn't happy.

"What do you think of Darkmount?"

"I didn't expect it to be as huge as it is. I wish I'd had the chance seen it before everything went crazy."

"It won't be long before it is restored to its former glory," he said, pouring energon into the empty container and sliding across the desk to the femme.

"Thank you, but I think I've had enough already."

"Disregard restraint for once. I guarantee you've never had energon like this. It's my own private blend that I save for special occasions."

_He must be in an awfully good mood to be inviting me in and sharing his stash like this_, Stormvolt thought. _I'd better be polite and try it. _She took a sip and the difference between it and what was in the lounge was like comparing rocket fuel to lemonade.

"Wow," she said.

"Indeed."

They sat in silence for a few moments. Stormvolt gently flicked the glass with the tip of a finger and was surprised when it rang quietly. A quick analysis showed that it was carved from a single huge crystal. For whatever reason, she expected it to be made of plastic or another synthetic. Megatron watched closely and she was getting that old feeling that he was trying to see inside her head with his stare. It wasn't pleasant when she was organic and she didn't like it any better now.

"Why were you wandering about? Surely the party hasn't broken up already?" Megatron asked.

"It's calmed down a lot. I was just in there a little bit ago." She didn't mean to tell him what she'd been doing. There wasn't any special reason, only habit. Maybe he wouldn't catch it.

"Oh? Where were you before?"

So much for that hope. "I was out exploring the rest of the fortress."

"Yes, you do have a tendency to do that. And did you find anything of interest?"

"I did." It was better to tell the truth. With all those monitors on the walls, who was to say that there weren't cameras everywhere and he already knew and was testing her to see if she'd lie?

"What?"

"I located where Skywarp and Thundercracker lived. I used to wonder what the quarters here were like so I decided to find out."

"You refuse to leave them in the past, don't you?"

"I tried, but I can't seem to do it."

"You were better at it before. Would this current inability be related to something you've discovered recently? Perhaps in Unicron's head?"

How? How did he keep doing that? Screw it. Why not be truthful? It wasn't like she'd acted on any of the information. A compartment on her arm popped open and she retrieved the chip containing all of Megatron's information that she had downloaded before the Autobots interrupted.

"Here," she said, placing the chip on the desk.

"What is this?"

"While I was in there, I found a computer terminal that had information copied from you before you were turned into Galv , I mean, before you were reformatted."

"Is that so?" Megatron said, staring at the chip as he turned it back and forth.

"Yes, but I didn't get it all before those Autobot femmes ambushed me."

"They had you cornered and outnumbered and yet you managed to prevail. I am sorry to have missed that."

She shrugged. "I think part of it was luck."

"You are too modest. I have seen you demonstrate considerable skill when it comes to deviousness."

"Thank you?" Presumably it was a compliment. "It wasn't all me. Ravage was a huge help."

"What I especially regret is not having the opportunity to see your thrashing of the Autobot Chromia."

"I could have done a better job."

"You won, that is the important, no, the only thing." He took another sip of energon and then sat the container down and leaned forward. "But tell me, didn't you enjoy it? The thrill of combat and having your enemy at your mercy? The feel of metal crushing beneath your hands?" He asked, voice dropping to a low, husky pitch.

The way his optics gleamed in the dim light made him look demonic and it made her nervous, but bizarrely, the sight was almost comforting in its familiarity. Shit, she really was loaded.

"I didn't have much opportunity to think about it."

"You are not answering the question."

"I don't like that femme. She is arrogant and snotty, so yeah, I guess I didn't mind roughing her up."

Megatron nodded approvingly. "Your life would be much simpler if you would accept your natural impulses instead of constantly trying to govern them by applying human morality."

"Wouldn't the human aspect be part of my natural impulses too? I mean, I was human for longer than I've been a 'bot if and that's counting the time in stasis," Stormvolt said. Why couldn't he have gotten into all this when she wasn't over energized and was thinking straighter?

"If you didn't fight it so hard your personality programs would overwrite it. You would have a new outlook to go with that wonderful new form."

"But isn't that part of the program?" Stormvolt asked, ignoring the comment about her form. Was he going out of his way to be skeevy or was it an attempt at charm brought on by too much to drink? The end result was the same.

"I suspect it is more a glitch. Your evolution is the first of its kind and it was probably not without problems." He sat back and stared at her. "If only I had known. Possibly the change could have been expedited. Was it painful?"

"In the beginning it was excruciating. Later it wasn't bad at all, but then you were there so you know all about that part."

"Yes, it was a singular experience to say the least."

"What do you think would've happened if you had known? If you'd gotten me out of there and weren't reformatted and I had that additional processor?"

"That is quite the conundrum isn't it?"

"Quite." They sat in silence, contemplating the idea. The special energon went down easy but had a strong effect. Stormvolt had more questions and it was getting hard to keep them in or worry about the politest way to ask them.

"Speaking of personalities, I was wondering about Motormaster and Vortex and those guys."

Megatron said nothing and waited for her to continue.

"Are they going to stay the way they are now or will they get back to normal?"

"It will not happen right away, but eventually their individual personalities will surface albeit with changes."

"What kind of changes?"

"They have been reprogrammed to be loyal but the coding goes much deeper than with the old Robo-Smasher. I do not think they will be so ambitious as to try to overthrow me in the future."

"Not if they know what's good for them. Can it be reverted in any way?"

"It would only be possible if there were information for them such as this," Megatron said, gesturing toward the chip. "But there is not."

"You know, I found information on the others in there," she said.

"I suspected as much. What, specifically?"

"Like what I gave you. There was video also."

"And what did you learn from that?"

"I already knew who you were and I saw that Scourge used to be Thundercracker and some Insecticons became the Sweeps. Unfortunately the video cut out before I saw if Cyclonus was Skywarp or Bombshell."

"Have you informed them of your discovery?"

"No. I didn't know if I should or not. And I wanted your permission first. You wouldn't say who was who before and …."

"Nor will I now," Megatron said, leaning back in his chair and folding his arms.

"Why not?" It came out in a more argumentative tone than she would have liked, but the seeker guessed he would know she didn't mean it that way.

"I want to test your problem solving abilities under calmer conditions and see if you can learn the truth on your own. I have all confidence you will."

"Yes, but . . . never mind." Why? Why did he have to be like that? Whatever the answer, arguing wouldn't do any good and she wasn't going to beg. Hey, he didn't tell her she had to stop trying so that was a plus and it was a relief not to be hiding it from him.

"What are you going to do with the confirmed information you already have?"

"I guess I'll hand it over to the rightful owners, although getting the Sweeps sorted out is going to be hard."

"I knew placing you in a position of authority was the correct action to take," Megatron said, finishing the energon in his glass. You aren't suited to be Air Commander, not yet, but potentially the day will come. And you certainly deserve better than to be a rank and file soldier," he said, pouring more energon into the glass. "As it is, you can continue your education in ways that would be extremely difficult otherwise."

"My education?"

"Cyclonus has taught you well thus far. He can continue and I may offer instruction on occasion."

"Oh?" That last part didn't sound too cool, not with the way he was behaving now.

"There is a promising future ahead. You have no idea of what awaits you."

_I can live with cryptic, but I wish you'd quit being so fucking creepy_, she thought.

Megatron smiled as though once again surmising her thoughts and it only served to make her uneasier.

"You should relax," he said. "You've known for a long time now that as long as you remain devoted to me and the Decepticon cause there is nothing to fear."

"Yes, I know." _Relax? Around you? Pffffft_.

"Very well. If you were searching for Cyclonus earlier, I believe he is in Starscream's old lair."

That definitely felt like a dismissal. "Yes, I wanted to find out if he had anything official planned for tomorrow before I recharged."

"Undoubtedly he will have something in mind," Megatron said with a smirk.

Ugh! When would it stop? "I'll be on my way then. Thank you for the energon."

"It was my pleasure." He watched as she bowed with her fist near her shoulder and then left, making minute course corrections to get out the door without banging a wing against one side or the other.

XxXxXxXxX

Cyclonus stood in the center of the room, turning slowly and attempting to take in what his optics showed him. Never had he seen such ostentatiousness. Stormvolt would surely have a human word that fit the scene before him. His own vocabulary didn't seem adequate to describe it. If he were going to use this space in an official capacity, drastic changes were required. And this was the more or less public office. What awaited him in the attached private quarters? The doors opened and the lights came on, showing him that there would be many more changes needed in also. More than in the office, judging from what he saw.

"Ho-ly crap, I have never seen anything so tacky in my life! And this is from someone whose original species had people who thought paintings of bullfighters and Elvis on black velvet was high art. Wow." He turned to see Stormvolt practically goggling at the walls in the office.

"Nor have I," said Cyclonus. Tacky. Another human term, but somehow it worked well.

"What's it like in there?"

"Worse."

"No way."

"See for yourself."

Stormvolt walked drunkenly into the private room. It was easily four times the size of where Thundercracker and Skywarp had lived. "I've heard of people who have something called an 'I love me wall.' You know, where they put awards and whatnot, but I've never seen anyone who had two entire rooms before."

Starscream had been very good at what he did. And he believed in letting those around him know it, whether they asked or not and whether they cared or not. As one entered the office of the Air Commander (which was smaller than Megatron's office) there was a desk facing the doorway, behind it was a larger than life size portrait of the old occupant. In case that didn't jump out enough on its own, a light from the ceiling shone down upon it. The whole room, if not for the desk, computer equipment, and pair of chairs, resembled a museum. Stormvolt mused that if they had human-style childhoods, there would have been samples of his schoolwork hanging around and spot lit too. The private chambers were even more jammed with awards and the like, including a gold-colored metal statue standing in one corner.

"What sort of egomaniac has a statue of themselves in their own home?" Cyclonus asked. The ornate décor was heavily at odds with his warrior's aesthetic.

"That was Screamer for you," Stormvolt said, chuckling and shaking her head in disbelief.

"The metal can be repurposed but I can see no use for these portraits."

"This is where you're going to live now?" It wasn't really a question.

"It is more than adequate for my needs and the location will be familiar to the others."

"Good thinking."

"Was your survey of the premises satisfactory?"

"Mmm hmmm. I saw a lot of Darkmount but not all of it."

"You were gone all that time and didn't see it all?"

"For part of it I was talking to Megatron."

"In that condition?" Cyclonus asked, gesturing at her as she stood slouched and leaning against one wall, continuing to observe the room.

"What? He wasn't exactly stone cold sober himself and he invited me in for some energon. What was I gonna do, say no?"

It wasn't out of the question that their leader would wish to speak with her now that the tensions with the Autobots were over. No doubt they had much to discuss, however . . . he did not like it. The knowledge was arousing feelings of jealousy not unlike those caused previously by Thrust. Jealousy and a strange new kind of confusion.

"I see. Put in those terms, no, you would not. And the two of you would have much to talk about I am sure," he said.

"Yeah. He asked me about fighting Chromia and when I first changed from being human to my protoform, or whatever it actually was."

Cyclonus nodded. It seemed harmless. Perhaps he was being overly concerned. Stormvolt pushed off from the wall and approached him. She stood close and spoke quietly near his audio sensor.

"But man, he was weirding me out. I swear sometimes I think he can almost read my mind. And the way he insinuates things! Bleah."

Or perhaps he had every reason to be concerned. "Insinuates?"

"You know."

Cyclonus didn't.

"Like he made a remark about how I looked now, which I ignored. And I told him I was going to check with you to see if you had anything planned for tomorrow before I recharged? And he says 'Undoubtedly he will have something in mind' with this smile," Stormvolt said, imitating Megatron's smirk and his voice to a lesser degree.

"Our relationship is not a secret, especially not with him being a part of your mind for so long."

"No, but still…."

"And he was right, you know," Cyclonus said, gently taking her hand and backing toward the living quarters.

"He was?"

"Everyone is free to do as they like for two cycles. That includes us."

"And what is it you want to do?" Stormvolt said, letting him lead her. He was getting a lot better at this.

"Allow me to demonstrate," he said, pulling her closer.

This was going to be good, all but for one minor detail.

"I'd like nothing better, but can we turn off the lights?"

"Why?" Cyclonus asked.

"It's going to sound dumb, but …. I can't do _that_ with all these pictures in here. It's like they're staring at us.

The mech glanced around at the portraits again. "You are right." He turned and pressed a few buttons on a small panel beside the door. The room went dark except for the glowing of their optics and the dim light that came in through the door to the balcony. Tomorrow, this room would be the first official matter he dealt with.

XxXxX

Megatron had another sip of the energon as he watched a monitor near his desk. A camera was pointed toward the door of Starscream's old office. There used to be one inside, but the seeker would find and disable it regularly. What he didn't find was the audio monitor hidden in an out of the way spot. He watched as the femme entered the room and then he switched to the audio. There were parts that were difficult to discern, but he got the gist of it. When he heard them retire to the private chambers, he switched the feed off. His circuits were buzzing pleasantly and the smirk was present once again as his processors contemplated upcoming machinations. He didn't miss the way the femme was on edge around him. It wasn't surprising, he reasoned. She wasn't stupid. It would merely require work to remedy. But it was a minor issue. There were many pieces of the puzzle that were missing but he would gather them all eventually and then determine the best way to move forward. Or whether to drop the matter entirely. _Yes the future would most certainly be interesting._


	50. Uncertainties

Author's note: Thanks for reading and commenting, etc. I appreciate it. Transformers belongs to Hasbro and Takara, not me.

A Blessing and A Curse  
By: Quetzal1

Chapter 49  
Uncertainties

"Are you certain you feel adequate to the task?" Cyclonus asked.

"For the fifth time, yes," said Stormvolt.

They were alone in the repair bay aboard the Vengeance. After being in Darkmount, the ship was no longer spooky. The corridors were dimly lit and there was an occasional creak in the hull but those features were familiar now. Stormvolt didn't even notice them as she went about getting the tools needed for the job. As she knew well, when Megatron said "as soon as possible" that was exactly what he meant and not "whenever you feel like getting around to it." He had noticed whatever it was ailing Cyclonus and told him to get it repaired and the mech trusted no one else to do it, nor did Cyclonus want to be in a vulnerable position near the others. It was unfortunate that it took the intervention of Megatron to force the repair, but if that's the way it had to be it was fine with her. They had waited until later in the cycle to give the results of her overenergizing a chance to abate. It was unpleasant and a real drink-till-you-offline bender had to be nearly unbearable the next day, exactly like too much alcohol. There was a noticeable quiet around Darkmount but when everyone began to feel better they would be back at it again in full force. Given the job ahead of them, it might be a long while before they were allowed such behavior again.

"I can wait until tomorrow if you are not well."

"Why are you trying so hard to get out of this? It's not as if we're doing a major repair. All I have to do is see what's going on in there," she said, tapping a finger on his side. It made a high pitched plinking noise.

"It is a minor inconvenience and it does not hurt enough to warrant the time and resources we are expending."

"How do you know it won't get worse and turn into a major problem?"

"I do not, but the evidence thus far suggests it will not worsen."

"Maybe you're right, but since you're under orders to get it fixed, let's get this done."

"Very well," Cyclonus said, sitting on the table beneath the array of monitoring equipment.

"I'm guessing you don't want to be off lined for this," said Stormvolt.

"I do not."

"Okay, I'll disconnect a neurocoupler and we can get started."

XxXxXxXxXxX

"This is most unfortunate," said the Quintesson, speaking from the less severe-looking face representative of Wisdom.

"Yes. Unfortunately, I was at their mercy and there was no way to avoid the restoration of Optimus Prime," said a second Quintesson using his Wrath guise.

"More recent developments pose a larger problem," said the third Quintesson, his voice coming from the spike topped Judgment face.

Their ship twisted its way through space. Once order was returned by the Matrix, it didn't take the creatures long to rendezvous and ponder what had taken place and what to do next. They possessed a vast network of contacts and word of the uneasy peace on Cybertron got to them quickly.

"The calculated odds did not favor a cooperative effort between the Autobots and Decepticons," said the first.

"That is irrelevant. The most important unknown is what they will do next," said the second, his faces spinning and coming to rest so that was speaking from Wisdom, like his brother.

"Their peace will be an uneasy one at best, however the Autobots currently have the advantage," said the third.

"They will watch the Decepticons closely but will also resume normal operations," said the first.

"Which means they will eventually renew contacts with allies on other planets as well as continue exploring and finding new ones," said the third.

"And their meddling in the affairs of others in the name of peace may hinder our dealings," said the second.

"We should also consider the Decepticons," said the first, changing his face to that of War.

"There is a 98 percent probability that Megatron or the others will shoot us on sight given the outcome of our participation in the coup attempt against Galvatron," said the third.

"I propose we withdraw to safety until a suitable strategy is formulated," said the second.

"Agreed," the other two said in unison.

"Allow them to think we are neutralized, and then forget about us," said the first.

"And then strike in a fashion they would never suspect," said the third.

They chuckled in anticipation of their future scheme, assured it would be successful.

XxXxXxXxXxX

Megatron felt good. The previous evening he stopped his energon intake before it passed the point of no return for causing problems the next day. He knew he would be busy and did not want to delay his actions because of an energon hangover. From what he was seeing around Darkmount, the others fully met his expectations and did not exercise the same caution. He didn't see many mechs, but the few who were out and about were obviously hurting. It didn't matter to him one way or the other. He had plenty of other thoughts to occupy his mind. He descended further into the depths of the fortress. One would assume he was headed to Shockwave's laboratories and he was, but not the ones that were common knowledge and avoided by everyone else. This was a hidden area. Darkmount was riddled with them.

He reached the rooms where he had been restored to his old self and entered. No one was around and Megatron immediately proceeded to a side room where an unobtrusive panel was inset into the wall behind a sliding cover that hid it from view. He entered the code and waited for the section of wall to open and admit him to one of the most secret locations inside Darkmount. It was known only to himself, Shockwave and Soundwave.

"Greetings, Lord Megatron," said Shockwave. The scientist was sitting at a console watching a list of numerals roll up the screen and he quickly rose to meet his master more formally.

"Greetings Shockwave. What is the outlook?"

"Unfortunately, the damage caused by Unicron and the ensuing power outage was more extensive than I first suspected. There has been a sixty two percent loss so far."

"So far?"

"Another seven to ten percent may not survive," Shockwave said cautiously, expecting a violent outburst. "But I have taken every possible measure to stabilize them."

Curse Unicron! Did that abomination ever stop causing him problems? "I want to see them for myself," said Megatron, sounding annoyed but not ready to do anyone violence . . . yet.

The mechs entered the adjacent room. Megatron saw immediately that it was as Shockwave had said. The majority of the indicator lights on the shelves were red, indicating failure. Most of the green-lit containers were grouped together. Many containers displayed an orange indicator because they had been opened, and their contents placed in an incubator of sorts to aid stabilization. At best he could expect a twenty eight percent success rate. Even so, that would be in the hundreds.

"What about the protoform materials?" Megatron asked.

"The damage there was worse."

"How much worse?"

"Only eighteen percent remained salvageable."

"That is unacceptable."

"I am in the process of gathering the needed elements to make more."

"But?" Megatron asked, sensing Shockwave's hesitance to deliver more bad news.

"They are difficult to come by with Cybertron in its current condition. May I suggest we have the repair crews and security forces search for them when they are out in the cities? I will go to the likeliest locations first and check them myself.

"Yes. I will inform Scrapper and Cyclonus personally."

Shockwave nodded and stood anxiously, awaiting further orders.

"Be gone. I want to consider the matter in solitude," Megatron said, turning away and flapping one hand dismissively.

"As you wish, my lord," Shockwave said, before quietly exiting.

As Megatron stared up at the lights on the shelves, he wasn't really alone. Each display gave the status of the containment unit and the contents inside. A green light indicated a healthy viable spark, red meant it was extinguished. Like keeping a spare chassis for himself, it occurred to him that maintaining a backup army was a good idea.

It was a project started not long after they took Cybertron after harvesting energon on Earth. Usually, newly created sparks were implanted into a protoform right away. The protoform evolved into a robot and then they were programmed with the basics and indoctrinated into the Decepticon way before being sent to the War Academy. But by storing the parts without combining them, the potential army remained available and didn't place such a drain on resources. Shockwave had even found a way to accelerate the evolutionary and learning processes. But none of it did any good without every part being correct. That this scheme met with huge obstacles when it would have been the most useful was no surprise. Megatron paced back and forth, thinking. They had sparks but not enough protoforms to go around. Unless . . . . A new possibility came to mind. There was a high chance for failure, but if it worked, it would go a long way toward helping their situation. It did nothing about the shortage of sparks, however. He had only been tormenting his second in command, but now it appeared that they really would have to repopulate their ranks the more entertaining way. Unfortunately that would take much longer.

XxXxXxXxXxX

Cyclonus was flat on his back and growing impatient. Now that repairs were in progress, being there didn't bother him that much. It was the other ideas weighing on his mind that were making him restless, and when he was restless, he liked to move about. He stared up at the ceiling of the repair bay as he thought.

Galvatron was no more. There was a strong argument that he had never actually existed. Everything Megatron said tended to strengthen that argument further. However, Cyclonus was programmed to be loyal to Galvatron but if he never was, what did that mean? Was he technically loyal to no one? That could not be right. Megatron was obviously more than merely competent as leader of the Decepticons. In the short time since his restoration they had made more progress than during the entire reign of Galvatron. He was worthy of Cyclonus' loyalty, but…. He glanced at Stormvolt who was carefully searching through the internal parts of his torso on one side. The way Megatron was behaving towards her made him uneasy. He was their leader, and could do as he wished and yet Cyclonus was contemplating what could only be classified as direct defiance, which was at odds with his programming Galvatron dilemma notwithstanding. He knew that he remained loyal to their cause and their leader, but he was not willing to step away and relinquish the one remaining constant in his life. This willingness to defy was new and confusing and almost felt like another malfunction.

There seemed to be no satisfactory solution to the puzzle. His thoughts drifted for a moment. As when he needed a way to work around Galvatron without feeling guilty, a technicality presented itself. As it stood now, there were only sly hints but no formal declaration of intent by Megatron. Bold actions would be and end to this concern. If it turned out that there were undeclared intentions, Cyclonus knew he could easily feign ignorance. Yes! That is what he would do, he just wasn't sure how. But then just because he acted didn't mean it would conclude the way he wanted. In the end, the final decision was not his to make. He twitched repeatedly in his agitation.

"Would you stop squirming around? It's hard to see back in there as it is," Stormvolt said.

She peered into Cyclonus's wiring and gently pried the bundles apart one by one. The strands were pristine. What the hell was going on in here? Earlier she found a series of tiny terminals. At first it appeared unremarkable but then she looked again at a higher magnification and saw faint, black soot marks indicating something had gotten against it and caused sparking. That would be uncomfortable and intermittent. If whatever it was had gotten against it and stuck, it would have caused burning, and potentially, more substantial damage and more pain. Going with the theory that the insulation was damaged on one of the many nearby wires, she checked them over and over. Nothing was amiss. It seemed to hurt when he was upright and moving around.

"Can you sit up?" She asked.

"Are you finished?"

"No. I want to see if your position moves anything around. I found a spot that looks like something's been shorting out on a terminal block but I can't see it like this."

Cyclonus struggled to a sitting position. It was hard to move with half of his body numb.

"Did that help?" He asked.

"Give me a minute." Stormvolt crouched and looked toward the block with a small light. "I don't see it. "Move your arms up and down."

Cyclonus did as she requested then waited.

"No, that didn't get it. Try bending at the waist and leaning to the side," Stormvolt said. It was hard to see the terminals. She crouched and directed the beam. A tiny pinpoint of light flashed back at her. "Whoa, stop right there. I think I saw it."

She pointed the light and watched carefully. There it was again. A tiny object was hanging from a brace between two hydraulic lines. It dangled near the terminal block. Yes, if he moved the other way, it would likely make contact or at least come close enough to create an arc. But it was so tiny. What was it? She picked up a long pair of tweezers and carefully grabbed the object. It was stuck.

"Lay down again, but go slowly," she said. "I found it but it's caught and I have to work it loose."

Cyclonus eased himself down again. "What is it?"

"I'm not sure. It's really small, but just the right size to cause an intermittent short or an arc. I'm trying to get it out without breaking it. It's dinky."

After several minutes, and a lot of cautious maneuvering, the object was free. Now to find out what the hell it was. There was a microscope and other optic enhancing devices on a bench nearby. Stormvolt placed it beneath a magnifier and adjusted it. Her optics could zoom in a long way, but she wanted to get a clear, unimpeded view of it. If it were a fragment from a larger part that was on the verge of failure it would be essential to identify it beyond any question.

Cyclonus watched as she leaned over to peer through the viewfinder. Her frame went rigid and she made hurried alterations to the settings of the scope.

"What do you see?" He asked.

She took a step back and straightened her frame. "I . . . you should look at this."

He didn't like her rattled expression. Was there something dangerously or fatally wrong with him? The mech slid off the table as he rose to a sitting position and then slowly approached.

"Tell me what you see," Stormvolt said, gesturing toward the viewfinder.

"As you wish." Cyclonus crouched slightly and put his optics near the device. He saw the tiny item that had caused him such annoyance. Was this a joke? He used his on board sensors to analyze it.

"And?" Stormvolt asked.

"I see what appears to be a chain made of some kind of soft metal, not of Cybertronian origin. At one end there is affixed an item covered in carbon based crystals of Earth origins. It resembles the useless ornamentation humans wear."

She wasn't losing her mind. Good. Because when she saw the bracelet, complete with the diamond covered four leafed clover charm still attached, that was certainly the way it felt, along with a racing energon pump and slightly out of whack equilibrium.

"What is it? And how did that get caught in my internals?" Cyclonus asked.

"Do you remember when I asked you about who you used to be, and whether you were interested in finding out?"

"Yes."

"Let's sit down because we've got a few things to talk about."


	51. Say What?

Author's note: This one is pretty calm and upbeat, befitting the holidays. It gets right back to the chaos, wtf and lengthiness next time. Thanks for reading this and also for commenting and favorite-ing, etc. It's all much appreciated. Whatever your holiday, have a good one. Transformers belongs to Hasbro and Takara, not me.

A Blessing and A Curse  
By: Quetzal1

Chapter 50  
Say What?

XxX

"Are you absolutely certain that you don't remember that bracelet?" Stormvolt asked, watching Cyclonus intently. They had gone to the observation deck where it was more comfortable. It seemed like they often wound up here when she had something important to tell him.

"I do not. But I presume that _you _remember it well," Cyclonus replied, carefully dangling the object in the air in front of him. The tiny chain was barely visible in his comparatively huge fingers, but the diamond covered clover charm sparkled in the dim light.

"Yes. I gave it to you."

"And what purpose would I have for such an item?"

"You didn't, not really, but it felt to me it felt like it couldn't hurt. It was supposed to be a good luck charm."

"Why do I not recall it?"

"Because it was a long time ago when I was a human and . . . you were Skywarp." She waited for a reaction. The silence within the room was enormous.

"You believe I was Skywarp? What other evidence do you have?" Cyclonus asked. There was no challenge in the questions, only the cool logic that Stormvolt had come to expect. He didn't appear shocked or even mildly interested.

"While I was in Unicron's head I saw a video replay of Megatron's reformatting into Galvatron. There was a bunch of information that was downloaded from him, too. The video also showed what happened to the others with him. Thundercracker became Scourge. A group of Insecticons became the Sweeps, but I can't tell the specifics of that because the Sweeps all look alike."

"And of course you witnessed Skywarp's reformatting," Cyclonus said. It was strange to for her hear him speak of Skywarp as if his old self was merely some random mech from history.

"No. Unfortunately, when it got to him I mean you, the video cut out. Bombshell was there also, so all I knew was that you were one or the other, but that narrowed it down a lot. But when I found the bracelet I knew for certain. I guess the reformatting process didn't affect it because it wasn't actually a part of you."

"Interesting."

"That's all you have to say?"

"Skywarp no longer exists and has no bearing on my life now. Perhaps if he were alive when reformatting took place it would be different."

"I think he was. Everyone still had their colors. Maybe you were all in deep stasis lock, I don't know, but one thing we can say for sure is that you are not a reanimated carcass."

For once there was a slight reaction. Cyclonus nodded, and for a brief moment his expression changed from its normal deadpan stare into another less cold one, as though he were mildly pleased by the information before saying; "Nevertheless, I recall nothing from before my reawakening."

"I know, but this may help," Stormvolt said, removing another chip from a storage compartment on one arm. She held it out to him.

"What is this?" Cyclonus asked, taking the chip and looking at it curiously.

"Near the recording of the reformatting, was another computer that had information from all of you. I don't know if it was general programming or contents of your memory banks or what. I've already told Megatron and handed over his chip. That leaves Scourge and the Sweeps."

"I see. And what do you hope to accomplish with this?" He asked, holding the chip up between two fingers.

"I don't know as I had any specifics in mind. All of you were changed without your consent. Obviously Megatron didn't appreciate it. Why shouldn't the rest of you have the opportunity to do something about it if you want to?"

"What if none of us wants to do anything?"

"That's fine, but you should have the option."

"And what does this knowledge change for you?" Cyclonus asked.

"Nothing, I guess."

"If I were the Insecticon Kickback, would it have altered your opinion of me?"

"No. I knew you could have been him or any of the others who were there. In fact, I was all but certain you weren't Skywarp. It didn't change my opinion. Or feelings." It was the truth. His near total lack of a sense of humor easily suggested he originated from anyone but the seeker.

"What if I chose to disregard the contents of this chip and destroy it right now?"

"Your choice. That's why I gave it to you, so you can do whatever you want."

It had the marks of sound, logical thinking, but Cyclonus wondered. How would this influence her processors in that regard? Now that his former identity was known, would she constantly try to influence him in ways she thought would make him resemble his old self? The only course of action was to wait and see what happened.

XxXxXxXxXxX

As he looked carefully and used his optics at maximum strength, Optimus Prime saw the dim glow from Darkmount over the horizon. It was weak now, but he knew it would change. Disquiet born from a lifetime of war needled at him. He hoped it wasn't a mistake, although there hadn't been much of a choice. If Megatron kept his word, and the Decepticons remained peaceful, there was no reason why they shouldn't be able to live on Cybertron. It was their home too. And it wasn't as if they could be exiled, but had that option been available, to take it would make them no better than the Decepticons themselves. He turned his gaze from the window and walked to a low table over which a projection of the planet glowed. The section now possessed by the Decepticons glowed a dark yellow.

"You think the calm will last, Prime?" Jazz asked. They went back eons together and had faced great dangers repeatedly. Their many travails made them close and he had become a confidante of the their leader. Optimus told him things the others would never be privy to.

"I do not know. Past experience tells us that Megatron is not to be trusted under any circumstance. However, his recent behavior is unlike anything we have seen before," said Optimus. He didn't have to specify what the behavior was. Both mechs were present when the deactivated bombs were removed from their various hiding places. Though, to call them mere bombs felt like a huge understatement. The devices were gigantic and it almost chilled the energon within his system to see them and consider the carnage they were capable of unleashing.

"I agree, which only makes me more worried. Megatron never willingly gives up an advantage unless he already has another he thinks is better," said Jazz.

"That is true, but I hope in this case that we are wrong and Megatron has finally learned the error of his ways. However, I would be remiss in my responsibilities to assume this."

"Which means…?"

"For now we will set up covert surveillance along the borders of Decepticon territory. As long as they take no aggressive actions we shall leave them in peace, but we will not allow them the element of surprise."

"Sounds good to me."

They stared at the map a few seconds longer before Optimus pressed a button and it disappeared.

"Do you think we'll ever have a true, lasting peace? I mean one where there are no borders and no one has to spy on anyone?" Jazz asked, turning from the table and gazing out upon the landscape of Iacon.

That was his dream, but he was wiser than to confuse it with reality. "We can only hope and do whatever is within our power to bring it about, old friend," Optimus replied.

XxXxXxXxXxX

Scourge was intrigued, but did not give that fact away. Stormvolt and Cyclonus had found him and requested to speak with him privately. Well, Stormvolt had. Cyclonus hadn't spoken. He wondered what were they about to drag him into now. The whole converting Galvatron business was more than enough for him. But then he received the news. According to the femme, Scourge was a reformat of the seeker Thundercracker. Cyclonus had been his wingmate Skywarp and both of them had been a part of Starscream's trine.

"And what is on this?" Scourge asked, holding another chip between his thumb and index finger as he examined it closely.

"I'm not sure. Possibly memory bank information or programming."

"In other words, it may be useless."

"Yes, but whatever it is, it's yours." Scourge's reaction wasn't emotional in any way whatsoever, not that she expected it to be. At the most there was a calm curiosity.

"Why are you telling me this?"

"I thought you had a right to know. I mean, Unicron could have made you as you were instead of a total reformat. Maybe you don't want to be in the body you're in. You should have the option to change if you want it."

"I see. And is Megatron aware that you're doing this?" Scourge had no intention of running afoul of their new leader, especially after what he had witnessed in the Great Hall.

"He knows. I had a chip for him, too."

"What about the Sweeps?"

"They were Insecticons, but I don't know who was which."

"You are more aware of their personality aspects than anyone," said Cyclonus. "Researching the archives and the background of the Insecticons may clarify it for you."

Scourge nodded.

"When you've got it figured out, let me know and I'll give them their chips. Or I can assist if you'd like. I don't know if I'd be much help. I was never around the Insecticons much," said Stormvolt.

"No, I will deal with it," said Scourge. He considered a moment. "But wait."

"Yes?"

"The Insecticons were on Earth, correct?"

"Right."

"And because of that they were disguised as Earth insects?"

Stormvolt nodded affirmatively.

"What were they before they went to Earth? And what was their group designation?"

"Wow. I don't know. I never thought about it before."

"I see. Is there anything else?"

"No. That's it." And wasn't that enough?

"Very well. I will begin investigating this as soon as possible," said Scourge, before abruptly turning and leaving the room.

"He didn't seem as though he was against the idea of change," said Stormvolt, as she also began to walk toward the door. The two of them had taken Scourge to the first room they had come to, which was thankfully empty save for a chair with a bent base.

"No, he did not," said Cyclonus. "And as you say, it is his decision."

They walked down the hall back towards Cyclonus's office and quarters, neither of them saying anything for a few minutes.

It was easy to see that Cyclonus wasn't exactly open to the idea himself. Stormvolt had considered taking him to his old room and seeing what he made of it, but now it didn't feel like a good idea. She didn't want to pressure him. If he didn't want to go any farther with this than he had, that was fine with her. Okay, maybe it was a little disappointing that he didn't show any curiosity, but it truly was his decision. For now it would be better to change the subject and let him think about it for a while.

"Do you want a hand with clearing out the Starscream hall of fame and museum?" She asked.

"If you wish. It will be finished that much faster with assistance," Cyclonus replied.

"Okay. After that I should probably see about finding a room of my own," said Stormvolt.

"Why?"

"What?" She stopped suddenly and regarded the mech with surprise.

"Why do you need to find other accommodations?"

"Are you suggesting we live together?"

"You appear surprised."

"That's because I am."

"Considering all that we have accomplished and endured together, would this not be the next logical step?"

He was speaking of it casually, like it was on the same level as asking her if she would care to join him for energon, but then in his mind, maybe it wasn't any big deal. She'd never been serious enough with anyone to move in with them when she was a human, but she knew those who had and it was regarded as a giant step. _When she was a human_. There was a phrase that needed to get phased out of her thinking, and the sooner, the better. Now would be a good time to start. The mech was watching her, waiting for an answer. Why not try it out? It would undoubtedly be different than she was imagining. Neither of them had any possessions to speak of and it wasn't like they'd ever have to fight for bathroom space. Even decoration was mostly a non-issue, but geez, it would be nice if he didn't come at her out of nowhere with these things.

"Yes, you're right."

"I am glad you agree." Why had her response taken so long? Perhaps the idea conflicted in some way with the lingering traces of human conventions in her processors. Whatever the reason for the delay, he was pleased with the response. It was a good start. He had another, more serious discussion topic in mind but he wouldn't broach that subject yet. Her obvious astonishment at simply sharing quarters supported that decision quite well. There was no hurry. Not yet. There was still much to learn about each other, not to mention waiting to see any possible effect that his old identity might have on their relationship. Yes, he would wait . . . unless Megatron forced him to act sooner.


	52. What Doesn't Kill You

Author's Note: Sorry for the delay. I'm not sure when the next update will happen, but I am working on it. Thanks for reading. Transformers belongs to Hasbro and Takara, not me.

A Blessing and A Curse  
By: Quetzal1

Chapter 51  
What Doesn't Kill You Had Better Watch Out

XxXxX

Megatron's optics glinted cruelly as he smiled, the only hint of the fury he was feeling within. Here in the expansive darkness of space he would have his revenge at long last. The Autobots were advised as previously agreed upon and no space traffic would be routed through this area until it was all over. He wanted to savor the moment but no matter how long he dragged it out, it would never be enough. He glanced around at his soldiers. Most held salvaged materials and potentially valuable items. Soon those would be the only evidence that his enemy had ever existed. It was difficult for him to remain patient. Once the other Decepticons were finished looting he sent Hook, Shockwave and Stormvolt back with explicit instructions. Despite their confused expressions, no one asked any questions, but then they knew better by now.

As he watched, the trio emerged from one of Unicron's empty eye sockets and glided toward him.

"It as you have commanded, Lord Megatron," Shockwave said, as he and the others got close.

"Excellent. Were you able to restore full capacity?"

"No. It is only at seventy percent," said Hook.

"There was too much damage for anything more," Stormvolt added before Megatron started interrogating them about it. Their assignment was to restore feeling to the remaining part of the planet eater. The monster didn't attack when they were taking what they wanted under Soundwave's supervision. She was on alert for more of the strange tentacles or automated blasters, they all were, but there was nothing. Had it died since she was there last? And why did Megatron want it to have sensation restored? It was of no concern to her, and she was glad to put distance between herself and the tyrant. She couldn't read his thoughts of course, but he was giving her a bad vibe. It sort of reminded her of the emotional hair trigger Galvatron was always on, but in this instance he had appeared only smug and a bit impatient. The lack of overt violence still made her tense and uneasy. Perhaps she was merely out of sorts from the time off and the excess energon. If Soundwave were inclined to do so, he could have told her that he was having a similar issue, only worse. He too was unable to read Megatron's thoughts, but in this particular instance he could feel more than just the gist of his master's feelings. The waves of wrath were extremely uncomfortable even though he was doing all he could to block them out.

"Very well. That will be enough. Stand aside and observe," said Megatron, gesturing with a grandiose sweep of one arm.

_This ought to be good,_ she thought. Megatron glanced at her with a smirk and then focused his stare on the disembodied head in front of them.

"UNICRON!" Megatron bellowed, hands clenched into fists and posture alert. Near him, Cyclonus held his weapon at the ready. There was no response.

"I know you can hear me." He considered prompting it with a barrage of laserfire but then the voice that haunted his memory spoke.

"Why are you here, Galvatron, my servant?" Unicron asked.

Several Decepticons flinched, expecting the use of _that_ name and calling him "servant" to send Megatron into a rage, but instead he laughed.

"Your arrogance is extraordinarily inappropriate. For as much as you would like to think differently, the fact is I was Galvatron in appearance only. As for being your servant, I told you that I belong to no one. If you hadn't found me in a damaged state, I would have destroyed you long ago."

"Why do you disturb my rest?"

"I am going to do more than disturb you," Megatron said, all levity vanished. He raised the fusion cannon and fired a long, sustained blast, directing the beam across Unicron's face at an angle.

The monster snarled in pain making it clear to Stormvolt why she and Hook and Shockwave were instructed to repair as much as possible of Unicron's neurosensor system. Megatron wanted him to feel everything that was going to happen. Torture was more effective (and entertaining) when the subject wasn't numb. She understood his desire for revenge, but this felt off somehow. It was more akin to tormenting a dangerous animal that was safely confined in a strong cage than defeating an enemy. But then it was more or less what Unicron had done to Megatron. A glance at Cyclonus told her nothing of what he thought about it.

The initial shot ended and everyone waited uneasily. Would Unicron retaliate in a fashion none of them had foreseen? Megatron fired again and again, slowly carving great burning furrows across the surface of Unicron's face. He stopped and waited. The silence stretched out for almost a minute. Megatron said nothing but remained in a stance that would allow him to shoot immediately. Finally, Unicron spoke again.

"Are you are unwilling to negotiate?"

"You have nothing to offer me," Megatron replied, holding the firing position.

"Stop this and join forces with me and all of Cybertron will be yours."

"Cybertron will be mine without your help." A black, swirling shape formed at the rear of the fusion cannon and a brilliant glow came from within the barrel.

"You are confined to a mere fragment of the planet and you haven't the power to obtain all of it on your own."

"A temporary condition, I assure you," said Megatron. "And as for the extent of my power, I think a demonstration will remove any misapprehensions you may have. In fact, it will remove you altogether." The bolt of light that exploded from the fusion cannon was a deep royal purple streaked with a pale violet, and too bright to look at directly, even with optics adjusted down in aperture.

"CURSE YOU MEGATRON!" Unicron's voice boomed before the remnants of the monster detonated and were reduced to cinders that glowed briefly and then were gone. No one spoke. For many, it was the first time they had ever seen Megatron extradimensionally channel the energy from a black hole, and it was a spectacular sight.

"So begins the new age of Decepticon ascension," said Megatron. He sounded tired. Few knew what kind of toll using the link with a black hole took. "You have your assignments. Return to Cybertron."

The crowd departed at once except for Soundwave and Shockwave. They knew that releasing the amount power it took to destroy Unicron would seriously weaken their leader to the point that he would require assistance to return home. That he was able to hide it was impressive in itself.

"Do you require our assistance, Lord Megatron?" said Shockwave. He knew the answer already but didn't want to presume anything.

"Not yet but I likely will when we've reached Darkmount." He watched the empty space as if expecting something to happen, conceivably for Unicron to rematerialize and attack, but there was nothing. "Soundwave, as soon as we return, contact the Autobots and advise them it's over.

XxXxXxXxXxX

The other Decepticons broke into Cybertron's atmosphere directly over their headquarters. No one was looking forward to all the work required to recover, except perhaps the Constructicons. Their first project was surveying the Decepticon controlled area and deciding what would be saved and what was destined to be razed and reconstructed. Scrapper would handle that himself. The others would supervise the work crews at the perimeter of the territory and begin erecting a wall. The rest who avoided being on the work crews were assigned to locate the current populace and advise them that life as they knew it was about to change and they had two choices in the matter: Be accommodating or get out immediately.

"Those of you with salvaged items will first report to the temporary supply depot. After that you will begin your assignments. And remember, any use of deadly force that I did not personally authorize will result in severe punishment. Are there any questions?" Said Cyclonus. He waited and received only a scattered chorus of 'No sirs.' "Carry on, then," he said, and then transformed and flew off toward the northern sector, flanked by five seekers.

"You heard him. Let's go," said Stormvolt to the group accompanying her to the outer reaches of the western sector. All around her mechs split off into their own squads and headed toward their assigned areas. Most of those with ground based alt modes descended immediately, having been assigned to the central area. From there they would steadily work their way outwards and meet up with the other groups. The rest followed the Constructicons, including an extremely sullen Turbulence and Flashburn. Sunstorm decided that several decacycles of heavy manual labor might make them realize what a privilege it was to be among the elite and that they should conduct themselves better in the future.

Locating any refugees and survivors of the Great War was part of the peace agreement with the Autobots. Whoever wanted to stay could, although it had to be made obvious to them that in doing so they would have to live by whatever rules Megatron felt like handing down. Otherwise they were to be moved to an area outside the Decepticon's borders where they would become the Autobots' problem. Simply turning them into slaves or eliminating them was out of the question. Nor was it permissible to single them out for any other persecution merely because they existed, and for that the femme was grateful.

The landscape below was like most of what she'd seen thus far: total chaos and destruction in every direction. If anyone was scraping by in that mess, it was actually rather impressive and a testament to their skills and tenacity. At first glance, it seemed abandoned but closer examination showed a pattern. The streets were cleared off enough to allow travel, a sure sign that someone was about. It would have been difficult for a large mech to get through, but for the small 'bots she'd seen around it would be more than adequate.

"I'm going to start here. The rest of you radiate outward, one bot per klik. If you run into any trouble, call for help immediately. You know what will happen to whoever takes matters into their own hands without approval," said Stormvolt, reminding them yet again of Cyclonus's threat. She rolled away from the formation and descended rapidly, transforming and coming to a gentle landing via antigravity.

Broken buildings surrounded her like a forest after a tornado had gone through. Debris was everywhere and nothing went unscathed. But for the futuristic nature of the architecture, it looked like any war zone she had seen in history books at school. And it would be dangerous, not only because of the instability caused by the damage but also from whoever was calling the area home now. Stormvolt checked the returns from her sensor arrays. There was no sign of any life forms nearby, nor did she pick up any energy signatures from potential weapon systems. The whole point of going to Earth was to get energy for Cybertron, which meant it was highly probable any manner of weapon she encountered would be very primitive by their standards, requiring no power, and therefore undetectable until activated. That or she was giving them too much credit, but only a fool would take it as a definite without any further evidence. She would proceed with extreme caution and stealth.

Stormvolt carefully picked her way out of the twisted metal and got to a cleared path. It would have been easier to use antigravity and float above the surface, but walking was slower and it would force her to be more careful and spot potential trouble before blundering into it. She moved quietly, optics downward most of the time to watch for tripwires and the like. Occasionally she stopped and glanced around incase there was something that managed to get by her sensors. Again she wished she could have seen all this when it was whole. Yes, they would rebuild eventually, but it wouldn't be the same. Oh well. There was a lot to be said for a renaissance too. As she picked her way forward on the narrow path, a faint signal began to show itself on her sensors. Someone else was close by. Following the signal strength indicator, she drew nearer. At last the readings told here that she was nearly on top of them. Pressing herself against a wall, she leaned to the side and carefully peeked around the end of another shattered building.

It was a tiny 'bot. He was smaller than Rumble and Frenzy and not heavily built. In fact, he was nearly about the same size as a human. She watched as he dug around in the rubble of an abandoned structure. Occasionally he picked up an object, examined it, and then tossed it away. He was scavenging, but for what? It wasn't important to her mission, but simple curiosity made the seeker observe silently for a bit longer. At last the mech raised an object from all the trash. He stared at it for a few seconds and then tucked it close to his body, glancing around furtively. Stormvolt had clearly seen what it was: an old power cell. Her guess was that they had devised a way to convert its stored electricity to energon. She had a couple of compressed cubes tucked away in storage compartments. One of those was probably more fuel than this guy had seen in one place in ages. Cyclonus _likely _wouldn't and Megatron _certainly_ would not approve, but she decided to give one of her cubes away to whoever this was once she informed him of the way things were now.

"You there!" She said, stepping from around the end of the building that was hiding her. It was necessary to demonstrate authority in this situation, though she didn't want to be a jerk about it. As soon as she learned his name, she would address him accordingly.

The diminutive mech jerked and spun around to face her. His damaged faceplate froze in a terrified expression briefly at the sight of the Decepticon approaching. That she had a hand out didn't help. Was it a friendly gesture or was she about to aim that short cannon at him? When were Decepticons ever friendly? That last thought decided him and he turned and leapt nimbly away over the pile of wreckage and ran.

"Wait! I just ," Stormvolt began, and then went airborne. There would be special broadcasts and notices posted, but informing these guys in person was the best way to get the word out. And truth be told, his fleeing irked her a little. She would catch him and advise him of what was going to happen in addition to letting him know running was a bad idea. If it was any 'Con other than her, there was every chance that they wouldn't be as understanding the next time despite their orders.

It was easy to follow but not to apprehend. Staying high enough to avoid the debris put the target out of reach.

"I want to talk to you, that's all," she said, and her efforts were met with a terrified glance upward and more running. It wasn't totally unexpected. What had this guy seen and endured at the hands of the Decepticons before? And she'd bet the Autobots were different when they were fighting, though not in an amount that anyone would confuse them for a 'Con. The mech snatched one last look at her before ducking inside a building.

Great. Stormvolt did not like the idea of trying to follow in an enclosed space, but there was nothing to be done about it. Reports would be made later and she didn't want to have to explain that she ended the pursuit for no other reason than because the incident in Unicron's head made her jumpy. Sensors continued to indicate that there were no weapons and her quarry was still inside, so she followed.

A switch to night vision helped. It was going to be great when they had lights again. Cybertron had no sun and inside these dead structures was darker than the surface. On the plus side, at least this building was constructed for machines of her size. If it were to the scale of the mech, she would have had to tear the roof off like when Starscream came for her long ago. The way wasn't wide open by any definition, which explained the odd zigzag path her sensors showed the small 'bot was following. Was it a trap? Didn't feel like it. She had caught him completely off guard. Stormvolt hurried through the maze of debris.

If not for the powerful night vision, she would have met with a problem in the form of a large pit dug into the floor. Standing in it, her head and shoulders would have been above the surface making it totally ineffectual as containment, but falling into it the wrong way may have caused damage. On the other hand, if one of undersized stature fell in there, they'd never escape without help if they couldn't fly or antigravity their way out. Interesting. There were several more pits scattered around in the general area and when she checked the sensors the 'bot's path showed that he was easily avoiding them. They were pretty feeble as far as traps went, but it proved her earlier theory about primitive weapons. They didn't get much more primitive than a big hole in the ground. Eventually she reached an area where the surface scanned as solid and unbroken.

Hopefully that was the last of them. Stormvolt proceeded at a faster pace. She was getting closer now. Sensors indicated that her target has stopped in a corner room. Good. They'd get this over with and she could get out of here. They had a lot of ground to cover and…. Her thoughts were interrupted by the feel of a slight tension against her foot an instant before a ton of debris rained down on her.

The pile was only knee high. No doubt if the 'bot she was chasing did all this by himself it must have taken a long while, but the traps were wildly out of scale. At best they were annoyances to her. They were obviously meant for smaller 'bots. Why did he need so much protection? Had a _Lord of the Flies_ society sprung up in the aftermath of the war? If that was the case it must only exist in certain areas because there was no trace of hostility or aggression in the populace of Praxus. Was he super paranoid…or did he have something to hide? What

_CLANG!_

One last piece of debris fell from its perch and bounced off her head ended the speculation. It didn't hurt but it was loud enough for the sound to echo in the bombed out building. Whatever these guys had going on was about to end abruptly and all the half assed traps they could muster wouldn't stop the massive change that was coming. Resistance would surely make it worse. The sensors showed he remained in the corner room. Good. There was nowhere left to run. She tried to move quietly. He had to have heard all the racket from the trash that fell on her. Would he think he got lucky and it was effective or else that she got tired of the chase and left? It was unlikely that he had any built in sensors to speak of or else they were inoperative because she wouldn't have been able to get to close and surprise him as she had initially.

The room was in sight. Big sections of sheet metal and armor plating blocked the entrance all but for one narrow gap. Feeble light was spilling out and it was the right size for someone small to squeeze through. For a typical Decepticon the blockage would be easily shoved out of the way. Stormvolt continued her approach. Another indicator came on to her sensor display as she came closer to the opening. There was someone else in there. They were either smaller than her prey or quite weak, judging from the strength of their signal. At last she reached the piled up metal. The femme found a couple hand holds and forcefully ripped it away from the opening. The light reached into the dimness, barely extending out of the room. In it, she saw the little 'bot. He was crouched down, grimly holding a length of pipe and waiting for her to come closer. Behind him on the ground she saw another mech of similar size but he was lying down and all signs told her that he wasn't long for this world if he didn't get help soon.

"Y-you stay away from us!" Said the mech Stormvolt had chased. He brandished the pipe a tad higher over his head.

"Stop it. I don't want to harm you. And besides, you can't hurt me with that," said Stormvolt.

"Harm is all we've known for thousands of cycles. At least we were able to manage an existence and now you want to bring the war back to us."

"No, the war is over. That's what I was trying to tell you when you ran away."

"I don't believe it."

"I can see that. I also see that your friend there is in need of medical attention."

"Stay back," he said when Stormvolt began to walk toward his companion.

"Maybe I can help him," she said, crouching and leaning over the motionless form. The femme had already run a more in depth scan that confirmed the bad news. She didn't know much about the systems of these guys yet, but the erratic readings told her that he was in a bad way. This was a far less than ideal location to attempt repairs and he was so tiny. The tools she had with her would be too big. How much trouble would she be in for leaving the mission and using their less than ideal resources on a non-Decepticon? It was a moot question because she saw that in his fragile state, he probably wouldn't survive a flight to somewhere else like the _Vengeance_. Any aid rendered would have to be here. Common sense told her Megatron wouldn't be pleased, but he didn't have to know about it, did he? She slid back an armored panel to expose her tucked away front landing gear and activated a light on it while removing a field repair kit.

"What are you doing?" In spite of his fear, the mech began to lower the piece of pipe. The experience was becoming surreal after what he was used to.

"I told you. Why don't you come over here and help me?"

In the light's harsh glare the damage proved to be far graver. The injured mech was dented and scraped and missing one arm. Old cobbled together repairs were obvious on both legs. Corrosion was rampant on the outside and by lifting a loose panel, the inside was revealed to be worse. It wasn't what she was used to seeing. Battle damage made sense to her. A reaction to an action. Force and weaponry applied to a chassis. But this was different. What she saw now was the result of neglect and deprivation. It was what happened to any machinery that wasn't properly cared for, for whatever reason. It simply wore down and deteriorated until it failed.

There was more wrong here than she had ever seen on one 'bot in a single instance. They weren't built to handle a lot of abuse. The lack of armor alone would make them extremely vulnerable.

"Do you have any replacement parts at all? Or something we could fabricate them from?" Stormvolt asked.

"No," said the mech.

"What's your designation?"

"I am Microntis," he replied, appearing surprised she would ask. "He is Exactor."

"You're positive there's nothing to make parts from, Microntis?"

He gestured toward an area behind them where a crude device sat. The power cell he had scrounged was next to it. "I am certain. I've been lucky just to find materials to convert to energon."

Stormvolt saw that it was much smaller and worked on a different principal, but basically it was like what was on Chaar: a device to convert a power source to energon. It didn't help the present situation.

"Do you at least have any tools I can work with?" She asked. Everything she had wouldn't fit and could cause further damage. It would be like trying to repair a watch with a ball peen hammer.

"Yes, a few but they are rather crude."

"Get them. It's better than nothing."

XxXxX

There wasn't much to be done. Microntis brought the tools and was willing to serve as Stormvolt's hands. She told him what to do and how and he followed her instructions to the letter. She admired his nerve. A lot of 'bots wouldn't go near the internals of another. Without replacement there wasn't much to be done aside from tightening leaking lines, installing a patch and removing some of the more excessive grime from moving parts. It would make him more comfortable but it wasn't going to save Exactor.

It frustrated the Decepticon greatly. There had to be a way to do more but she was at a loss as to how.

"I'm sorry, but I think that's all we can do for now," she said, quietly. "I'll try to come back with parts and stuff later. Oh, and this is for you," she said, removing the stored energon cube. "I don't know if Exactor's systems are strong enough to handle full strength energon. If he really wants it, make sure you dilute it with some that's weak at about a one to five ratio strong to weak."

"I do not wish to sound ungrateful… but you _are_ a Decepticon, correct?"

"Right."

"Why are you doing this? Again, I mean no offence, it is simply counter to every experience I have had with them in the past."

"Yeah, I bet it is. And if it had been anyone other than me, you might have not have made it back here. Next time don't run away. It would be a lot safer for you."

"But why are you here? We haven't seen any Decepticons or Autobots for hundreds of cycles."

"About that. You see, " Stormvolt began but was interrupted by a quiet voice.

"Microntis…" It was Exactor. The mech's optics were barely aglow and he raised one hand briefly before it dropped to the floor.

Microntis promptly ran to his side and kneeled next to him, gently taking the hand that had fallen onto the floor and holding it close to his chest plate. Stormvolt watched for a second and then moved a couple of steps away to give them privacy. Maybe if she put it in terms of winning over the populace Megatron would allow her to bring Exactor back to Darkmount for treatment. If his policy was be useful or get out, there was the argument that such an act could persuade others to stay once word got around. Right. Like he wouldn't see through that in two seconds.

"_Stormvolt, this is Flameout. I have encountered resistance in sector alpha 7." _

"Damn," she muttered before replying via communicator: "I'll be right there. Maintain your position."

"_Acknowledged."_

Microntis was watching her, having heard Flameout's call.

"I have to go," said Stormvolt. "I'll come back as soon as I can." Microntis nodded and immediately turned his attention back to Exactor. The femme scanned the mech's life signs again and they were fluctuating. As she exited the room she hoped it was because he was on line and it made demands on his systems that being off line didn't.

XxXxXxXxXxX

It was more than a cycle before the first wave of Decepticons finished the initial contact with the survivors, not all of whom were the same size as Microntis and Exactor. Many terrified citizens immediately set out for Autobot territory, opting not to wait for transport to be provided. Others made futile attempts at resistance. A group of the larger 'bots had fashioned a catapult and lobbed burning masses of debris at the intruders. It was such a device that Flameout encountered. Reasoning with them did not work, that was, until someone thought to bring in Mindwipe. He was able to calm the violent mob through the use of his mind control abilities, though there were too many 'bots present to compel them into any kind of action. They had to settle for delivering their message and a warning. It wasn't a satisfying answer to the problem but it was effective. After that initial success, Mindwipe was kept busy quieting terrified or defiant crowds long enough for them to be informed of the new situation.

XxXxX

Trailing short flames from her afterburners, Stormvolt flew as fast as possible to get back to the bombed out building Microntis and Exactor called home. Her shift was over but there were reports to be filed and other nuisance work to complete before her day was truly over. First, however, she would deliver more energon and a few things to make Exactor more comfortable and hopefully stabilize him further until a permanent solution was found. It wasn't much but it had been hard to acquire the items without someone seeing her and getting curious. Getting away from Cyclonus without his asking a lot of questions was more difficult. She would have to make this visit extremely brief.

Knowing exactly where she was going shortened the trip and the seeker was soon at her destination and the darkened building was easier to navigate and now she knew where all the traps were. The light wasn't on in the corner room but that wasn't necessarily a big deal. Its power supply may have run out of power. Unfortunately, her sensors told another story. There were no energy signatures.

"Microntis?" She called, but quietly. There was no response.

She exposed a landing light and peered around the corner. It would show far more detail than night vision alone. The bright beam swept the room. There was no sign of the two small mechs and their meager possessions were gone too. It was as if they had never been there.


	53. No Good Deed Goes Unpunished

Author's note: Here's Chapter 52. Once again, I'm sorry about the delays. (For a better explanation see my profile page.) I appreciate all of you who have hung in there for all this time. Thanks for reading and for commenting and favorite-ing and the like. Transformers belongs to Hasbro and Takara, not me.

A Blessing and A Curse  
By Quetzal1

Chapter 52  
No Good Deed Goes Unpunished

Operations were proceeding according to schedule and Cyclonus was pleased. His command fulfilled its mission by warning the residents of the surrounding area of the change that had come. Since then, departure points were set up to facilitate the exit of those who wanted to leave. An automated system broadcast the relevant information around the clock and signs were posted everywhere. Thus far the average of those leaving compared to those who chose to stay was decidedly skewed, with the former being the majority. This was not surprising.

For the moment his troops had only to patrol the borders of their territory and the airspace of Chaar. That was, until work began on the airfield. He leaned back from his desk and looked out a nearby window. It would be constructed within sight of Darkmount. For security purposes, traffic leaving and entering their airspace would be closely monitored. He needed to devise a rotating schedule of seekers to assist with the construction. They wouldn't like it, but that was too bad. Over all, there were not yet any issues with insubordination or dereliction. Everyone was being kept far too busy for that. Once things settled down, the usual underhanded maneuverings would undoubtedly begin.

He would deal with petty intrigue when it became necessary. Currently, he had larger concerns. Locked away in the quarters he shared with Stormvolt was the chip containing Skywarp's information. Thus far she had not mentioned it again. His mind hadn't changed regarding making any modifications to himself, but it did occur to him that perhaps there was valuable information in the chip's contents. He and the femme had a peculiar relationship that had encompassed more than one form. Cyclonus wasn't a romantic at heart but the idea that they kept finding one another and becoming friends (and now much more than that) had a way of gripping his mind. But in some ways it was unfortunate that he wasn't the only one she kept finding.

The door to his office opened with a quiet _swoosh_ noise to reveal Megatron.

"Greetings, Lord Megatron," said Cyclonus, immediately standing and giving no clue of the sudden twinge of guilt he felt.

"Greetings, Cyclonus," Megatron replied, entering the room and taking in the change of décor. "I see you have removed the last vestiges of that miserable traitor Starscream. Good."

"I was about to send the weekly reports to you," said Cyclonus.

"Yes, which is why I am here. I wish to discuss our current activities with you in person."

Cyclonus nodded but said nothing, watching Megatron closely. After the destruction of Unicron's remains, no one had seen their leader for many cycles. Cyclonus had his suspicions as to why. He lost no faith in Megatron as a leader, if in fact he was correct and the destruction of Unicron had severely drained him. What did annoy the second in command was not being advised of this condition. However, as with Galvatron, it was not his place to question.

XxXxX

_Being an advanced race of machines, you'd think we'd have gotten beyond crap like this,_ Stormvolt thought, as she surveyed the number reports she had left to complete. The largest and worst was finished, but there were two others to go. She had taken the room across the hall from the ones that served as Cyclonus's office and their personal quarters with the idea that a little space between them during the day wasn't bad. The living arrangements were working out nicely. Thus far they had been much too busy to get on one another's nerves, not that she expected they would. One thing about Cyclonus, he didn't feel obligated to fill silence with talking unless he had something to say.

She leaned back in her chair and tapped a few buttons on the console in front of her. Those stupid reports weren't going to write themselves. Before she got started, her communicator activated. It was the head of Darkmount's security, a mech named Barricade. She didn't know much about him other than he was said to be a huge liar.

"Stormvolt, what is your present location?"

"I'm in my office. Why?"

"There's a mech at the front gate who wants to see you."

"So what's stopping him?"

"He's not a Decepticon, he's one of the deportees. You want his tail kicked out of here?"

"Did he give a name?" There was only one deportee who knew her as far as she was aware.

"Microntis. Does that sound familiar?"

"Yes. Have him brought up, please," Stormvolt said, keeping her voice even and businesslike to hide her surprise and curiosity.

It wasn't long before someone knocked at the door.

"Enter," said Stormvolt. The doors opened and a big mech stepped into the room and roughly dropped/tossed Microntis onto the floor. She considered reprimanding the Decepticon, but decided it would be a wasted effort. They didn't believe in treating anyone in their custody in any way other than guilty, regardless of whether or not an offence had been committed.

"Thank you. You can go, I'll see him out," she added, rising from her chair and stepping around the side of her desk. As soon as the doors slid closed, she went to Microntis and helped him up.

"What are you doing here, and what happened to you guys? I came back later on and you were gone," she said. "Where's Exactor? I didn't think he was well enough to travel."

The small mech looked away and then back up at her. "Exactor ceased functioning the next day."

"Oh, no. I'm sorry Microntis, I…. "

He was shaking his head slowly. "His systems had been on the verge of failure for a while now. There was nothing you could do to stop it. However, your actions did make his last hours more pleasant."

"That's good to know. But I wish you hadn't taken off like that. I would have helped you with the… arrangements afterward."

"We discussed that long ago. He rests among his own now."

After an awkward silence, she asked: "Why did you come here? It's not the safest place."

"I came to declare my intentions formally," said Microntis, backing away from her slowly.

"What intentions?" She was uneasy. What was he going to do?

He went down on one knee and bowed his head. Before he had a chance to speak, the door opened to admit Cyclonus and Megatron, both of whom immediately stopped to survey the scene before them with great interest.

"And what have we here?" Megatron asked.

"This is Microntis. I met him the first day we went out to give notice to the population in the western sector," said Stormvolt.

"I see. Did you invite him here?"

"Lord Megatron?" Said Microntis, rising from the floor. "Please excuse the interruption, but may I explain?"

"By all means," said Megatron, crossing his arms and staring down hard at the diminutive mech.

"I ventured here of my own accord. Stormvolt found my mate and I. He was gravely injured and she tried to help him."

"Is that so?" Megatron shifted his cold stare from Microntis to the femme and then back.

"Yes, my lord. She went out of her way to show mercy on us."

_You aren't doing me any favors, buddy,_ Stormvolt thought while cringing inwardly. Mercy was not a prized attribute in this crowd. However, she admired his nerve.

"That does not explain your presence here," said Cyclonus.

"No sir." He turned and faced the seeker, going back down on one knee as if he were about to propose marriage. "I am here to declare my allegiance and service to you, Stormvolt. My life is yours now."

"Whoa! What are you talking about?"

"You did what you could for Exactor."

"And failed miserably."

"Nevertheless. If he had survived, he would have owed you his life."

"But that's just it. He didn't."

"No, but you made the attempt. And for that you have my gratitude."

"Gratitude is fine, I guess, but you don't have to do this." She looked at Megatron and Cyclonus helplessly. The former seemed mildly annoyed and the latter, baffled. What the hell was he going on about? It made absolutely no sense.

"You know, Microntis, openly declaring one's allegiance to another who is not the leader might be considered treasonous," said Megatron.

"Her loyalties are my loyalties," said Microntis.

"No. I can't allow you to do this. Do you realize what you're saying?" Said Stormvolt, raising and abruptly dropping her arms in frustration. She desperately wanted to speak to the mech alone, to talk him out of this, but she feared her amazement had already caused her to be careless and say too much. Megatron was staring at her with frank disapproval.

"Stormvolt, I wish to have a word with you," said Megatron. To Cyclonus, it sounded like by 'have a word with you' he actually meant 'give you a thorough beating,' but there was no way for him to intervene.

"Of course, Mighty One," said Stormvolt, immediately trying to minimize the damage she had possibly done.

"Cyclonus, take our guest and wait for me in your office," said Megatron.

"As you command," said Cyclonus, glaring down at Microntis. The little mech quickly stood and scurried from the room without having to be told.

The door closed behind them, leaving Megatron and the seeker alone.

XxXxXxXxXxX

Shockwave made a minute adjustment to the huge apparatus suspended over two casings on the table below it. They were similar in design to the container that had housed Megatron's replacement body, the difference being that these were much smaller and currently empty.

This experiment was the first of its kind and Shockwave was determined that it would be successful. There was the thrill of scientific accomplishment, but far more important to him was to win Megatron's approval. Protoform material had already been loaded into the reservoir and was awaiting injection, but before that stage he needed to prepare the sparks.

The shelves in the adjacent room were much less full since he had removed the containers that held extinguished sparks. There were many healthy sparks remaining and several that were beginning to die. He didn't want to waste valuable protoform material, but neither did he want to lose any sparks. The experiment would determine future selection, provided it wasn't a failure all around. He glanced around the shelves, his hand moving over the containers before finally grabbing a small, black box with a brightly lit, green indicator and the one beside it that was showing orange on its monitor. These would do.

He read a plate on the sides of the boxes that told him who the creators of its contents were as he returned to the laboratory. All of them were dead as far as he knew. That was fine with him and it didn't matter in any case. Once a new spark was produced, it was submitted to medical staff and underwent a process similar to what was going on now. Ordinarily, there was enough protoform material to make a full sized individual, but because there was such a shortage they were forced to try a new approach.

Shockwave moved a series of levers and there was a hiss as protoform material was injected into the casket like cases on the table. Moving quickly but carefully, he attached the black containers to the cases and then slowly pulled the release on each of them, allowing the sparks to merge with the protoform liquid. If this worked their ranks would eventually expand to include a heavily armed assault vehicle, an asset that was never unwelcome, an a seeker, which he felt there were already too many of. But it remained to be seen. There were many variables to sort out in the coming cycles and no doubt there would be difficulties too. The mech turned to face the monitoring equipment and waited. At this point, it was all there was to be done.

XxXxXxXxXxX

"Well, well. On the planet for less than one Earth month and already you're building a following," said Megatron.

"Oh no, I'm not trying to do any such thing! It's true that I did try to help his mate, but it wasn't to make them owe me," said Stormvolt.

"If I were to give you the opportunity, you would attempt to persuade him to leave wouldn't you?" Megatron asked.

"Yes," said Stormvolt. When his questions came out sounding like statements, it was pointless (and dangerous) to attempt a lie.

"Why?"

"Being a Decepticon isn't for everyone. I don't think he has the correct… disposition to survive among us."

"I would have said the same regarding you at one point, and now look."

"It's not only that. I don't want him to feel like he has to be my personal slave or whatever he's getting at just because I tried to help."

"You will be glad of his presence soon enough."

_Oh shit, here comes something I'll bet I don't like,_ Stormvolt thought. It never, ever failed when he dropped a remark like that. And she said nothing, waiting for him to continue, the steps of this dance well remembered.

"Has it occurred to you that perhaps there are neutrals who _want_ to stay here? And it isn't as though there aren't many, many ways in which they can be useful to our cause. In fact, there are hundreds like Microntis who have elected to remain in our territory and I have already chosen a task for them.

"You have?"

"Yes. As you know, one of the terms in our peace agreement with the Autobots was complete ownership and control of Chaar. Until we get our portion of Cybertron restored and establish trade and exploration, we will be dependent upon ranazite derived energon," said Megatron as he casually paced back and forth. "We don't have enough Decepticons to cover both areas satisfactorily which is where Microntis and his ilk become useful. They will be sent to Chaar to mine and refine ranazite."

"Is that safe? I mean, how do we know none of them are spies for the Autobots? And isn't part of the agreement fair treatment of non-Decepticons who stayed here?"

"I harbor no delusions that the Autobots won't find out about this tactical error on their part soon enough. However, being stationed on Chaar would make it extremely difficult for anyone to spy on us here. And you may rest assured that each of them will be thoroughly investigated."

"I see."

"As for fair treatment, they will be compensated for their labors."

"I don't mean to sound like I oppose your plan, Sir, but all I see are obstacles."

"Such as?" Megatron asked indulgently.

"Okay, we pay them, in energon I presume, but where will they live? What do they do in their off hours? We didn't really leave the place in much better shape than we found it."

"Always thinking ahead, though not with all the information. You will have at your disposal Cybertronians whose main programming directive is industrial in nature. They like nothing better than to create and construct. Repair and improve."

"Kind of like Constructicons." _Wait,_ I _will have at_ my _disposal?_

"To a certain degree. Furthermore, with the rebuilding of Cybertron there will be a wealth of items you can use to fashion whatever is required on Chaar. I will personally advise the Constructicons to assist you in the selection of materials."

"Assist _me_?" Asked Stormvolt.

"Yes. This is where you enter the equation."

XxXxX

Microntis knew he was taking a huge risk in venturing to Darkmount but he would have been unable to live with himself if he had allowed the debt to remain unpaid. Even if Stormvolt continued to refuse him and he was ultimately tossed out, he would find a way to repay her. As it was, he wasn't sure he would be kicked out. No, now he wondered if he would survive at all. He stood in the center of a large office and felt much smaller than he was thanks to the way Cyclonus was standing there glowering at him.

"What is the real reason you are here?" Cyclonus asked, his voice low and ominous.

"It was as I explained to Lord Megatron, Sir," said Microntis, bowing his head and trying to be as courteous as possible. "My mate Exactor, had he survived, would have owed Stormvolt his life. He did not, and since he is gone, I will repay her generosity."

Cyclonus said nothing but stared down at the mech. It defied logic. If she had not failed, he would understand this Exactor being indebted to Stormvolt to a certain extent. But as her efforts were unsuccessful, he was unable to fathom why Microntis felt so obligated to her. Perhaps it was a boundless depth of feeling for his lost mate that compelled him. Whatever it was, Cyclonus did not trust him and he was mightily displeased that the little mech's appearance had gotten the femme into trouble with Megatron. It was that idea that prompted his reply.

"I see. Whatever happens to you now is entirely Megatron's decision. However, if he permits you to stay I will be watching and you would be very wise not to cause any problems."

"I only wish to serve."

Cyclonus replied with a doubtful grunt.

XxXxX

"Don't you think there's someone else better suited to such a huge project? Stormvolt asked.

"Equally suited? Yes. Better? No. I require one who is intelligent and who also possesses a reasonable amount of honesty," said Megatron. "And you have a knack for diplomacy, which is a rarity among us."

She didn't have a decent argument but neither did she want to be assigned to Chaar. Why not one of the new guys who hadn't had the pleasure? Was it punishment for trying to help Exactor?

"This is an important project that must get underway immediately. Tomorrow you will relocate to Chaar. Astrotrain and Blitzwing will ferry your charges there and together you will begin its transformation from a dead planet to a hub of productivity."

"Relocate? I have to stay there full time?"

"Except for when you are here to make reports directly to me every five cycles," said Megatron. "I trust you do not have a problem with that?"

"No," _you bet your ass I do. "_It's that I was…"

"Don't worry. I am sure Cyclonus's schedule will eventually be free enough to accommodate visits. And once Energon production is stable and we can spare someone else, you shall be relieved."

Great. It could take years for all those pieces to fall into place. In the meantime she was stuck back on the rock with a bunch of dinky 'bots who might not be as chummy as Megatron made them out to be, and worse than that, it didn't sound like she'd be seeing much of Cyclonus either. Yeah, definitely felt like punishment. Well, damn.

"Come, I will inform Cyclonus and then you are free to make arrangements for the transition," said Megatron.

"As you wish."

XxXxX

Cyclonus nodded thoughtfully as Megatron explained what was going to happen.

"And you, Microntis, will serve as assistant to Deputy Air Commander Stormvolt in addition to acting as liaison between her and your fellows," said Megatron, turning away from Cyclonus.

The mech appeared delighted at the prospect until he caught a glimpse of Cyclonus glaring at him from behind Megatron. The burning red optics promised nothing but trouble.

"Thank you, Sir. I am honored," said Microntis.

"And now if you will excuse me," said Megatron, "I will leave you to your preparations."

He turned away and exited the room. No one saw the nasty half smile he wore as he strode down the hall. Excellent. That couldn't have worked out better. Soon they would have plenty of energon and their territory would be free of undesirables. But that wasn't all. With the arrival of Microntis, he had been given the means to set another chain of events into motion. He despised waiting but that was his only option before he saw if his actions resulted in the desired outcome.


	54. Love and Confusion

Author's note: Sorry for the delay, I'll spare you the excuses and say this year I'll do better with updating. Enjoy and thank you very much for hanging in there. Transformers belongs to Hasbro and Takara, not me.

A Blessing and A Curse

By: Quetzal1

Chapter 53

Love and Confusion

XxXxXxXxXxX

A long section of high, imposing wall stretched for miles along the eastern border and temporary force fields were installed along the rest. The latter functioned more as an alarm than a real impediment to anyone who wanted to get in. Cities remained in ruins, but the rubble was cleared from many sites and there were signs of construction. The restoration of the Decepticon held portion of Cybertron slowly progressed.

Megatron was aware of all this and Cyclonus didn't waste time by pointing out the obvious. He was back at Darkmount for his usual progress report, although he suspected that his leader already knew about everything that happened. There wasn't much new information for him to present.

Currently, their most concentrated efforts were directed toward the airfield, which was nearing completion. Thus far there wasn't much traffic. Mainly it was used by whoever was assigned to provide air surveillance for Chaar and the occasional shuttlecraft from there, bringing ranazite energon for further processing and often taking away salvaged items from the cleanup. Nevertheless, it was necessary for security purposes to have a central arrival and departure point for any off-world travelers. Soundwave's command had installed sensors that blanketed the skies and immediately alerted security forces if anyone came in from space without using the front door, so to speak. The two measures made it tremendously difficult for anyone to infiltrate their borders from the cosmos.

XxXxX

It was all going so smoothly, that there was nothing much for Cyclonus to criticize and no one who currently required disciplining. Ordinarily, he would be pleased but now it disappointed him. His mood was extremely foul lately. Being self-aware, he realized this, but also being frustrated, he didn't particularly care. He wanted someone to take his irritation out on.

He hadn't seen Stormvolt in months. They spoke at the end of each cycle via encrypted channel but it wasn't the same. Undoubtedly the smarter of his subordinates had put two and two together, but they had the good sense not to mention it and were careful not to do anything to set him off. He also knew that this behavior was unseemly and he must rein it in. He was a warrior first and foremost and should be the last 'bot who needed to be reminded of the fact. It was easier said than done, however, when he was lying alone in the dark, waiting to slide into the oblivion of recharge. Cyclonus despised any flaw he felt was a weakness, which made the realization that he missed the femme yet more bothersome. He didn't blame her and he knew that such feelings were a possibility when he asked for her companionship on that night that seemed long ago. It was a risk he was willing to take but he never actually expected to experience them. The idea of prolonged separation during peacetime had not occurred to him. And certainly not what he perceived as _forced_ separation.

In the beginning he thought perhaps Stormvolt's assertion that being sent to Chaar was punishment for assisting Microntis and his mate was a bit paranoid. Unfortunately, he began to agree when it became obvious Megatron was doing all he could to keep them apart. Whenever she was due to make one of her weekly reports, Cyclonus was suddenly ordered to attend to something that was far enough away from Darkmount that it precluded his returning soon enough to see her. Each bit of his day was accounted for. He had only enough spare hours for recharge, energon consumption and personal maintenance. Whenever his schedule opened up, an unforeseen appointment was added. It was maddening. At least in the days of Galvatron, all he had to do was endure a beating and then it was business as usual. Now punishment was far subtler and drawn out. Theoretically he understood why Stormvolt was being disciplined, but why should he be punished? Was it because he was ultimately responsible for her training?

There was one other possibility that occurred to the mech and he found it greatly disturbing, more than any of his other ideas. What if…(he didn't even like thinking it) Megatron wanted her for himself? Cyclonus was quiet by nature personality-wise, and he moved stealthily when he wanted to. Those two traits allowed him to overhear a lot of interesting information. Much of what he heard was idle gossip, including speculation as to how long it would be before Megatron, who was rumored to prefer femmes, decided to make his move on Stormvolt. As Galvatron he had claimed she was one of his own. If that were true, then it wasn't possible for them to create sparks that wouldn't be mutated beyond any possibility of functionality. However, that didn't eliminate interfacing. Cyclonus winced inwardly at the idea. He knew the femme wouldn't entertain the notion for a nanosecond, but their leader was crafty and persistent and excellent at getting what he wanted. So where did that leave him?

XxXxX

"And the airfield will be completed within the next ten cycles barring unforeseen problems," Cyclonus said, finishing his account.

Megatron nodded. He sat behind his desk, leaning forward and listening with sharp interest.

"That includes its ground defenses, I presume?"

"Yes. They are already in place and functional."

"Excellent. All is going according to schedule," said Megatron. "Both here and on Chaar." He watched to see if mention of the dead planet drew any kind of response from his lieutenant. It didn't, at least none that he saw.

"Stormvolt was here earlier and she tells me that Ranazite production will continue at its current rate. In fact, further deposits have been located."

"Our current energon reserves are steadily increasing. Soon there will be a slight excess," said Cyclonus, showing no additional interest than if Megatron had mentioned Hook or Soundwave.

"Yes and then our power increases with that excess. We are close to having enough to begin trade with other worlds."

"It is surprising that the Autobots didn't place any restrictions on that."

"Those fools are going to wish that they had done far more than meddle in petty affairs," Megatron said, rising from behind his desk. "Have you detected any signs of their spies?"

"Negative. I think they are clever enough to watch from a distance for now. Once our borders have been permanently sealed they may try an intrusive maneuver."

"Yes. Remain vigilant and remind the others to do likewise."

"As you command."

"I am pleased with your performance thus far."

"Thank you, Sir."

"In fact, I think you have earned a reward for your efforts. Why don't you take the rest of the cycle off?"

"Are you certain there is nothing you require of me then?"

"I can function perfectly fine without you." Megatron said. Whether he meant for the day or generally, Cyclonus didn't know, but he presumed the latter.

"Of course."

"While you're at it, locate Stormvolt and advise her to join you. She has also done satisfactorily in her assignment and would no doubt appreciate the break." For a nanosecond he believed he saw Cyclonus perk up before maintaining his usual demeanor.

"As you wish."

"Yes, in fact, it seems that Chaar agrees with her. She looks well…_very_ well," Megatron said, slyly, trying to spot signs of discomfort in Cyclonus. He found none. This situation was quite the novelty. Starscream would have openly glared at him and made an attempt at a scathing comment. How much pushing would Cyclonus endure before he reacted?

"She is a reliable officer," Cyclonus replied, staring his leader directly in the optics. He would not offer contradiction on such a trivial discrepancy. And he knew baiting when he heard it. There was no way that Megatron was unaware of how much Stormvolt hated being there. Not after living in her head for as long as he did.

"Indeed. Now be gone," said Megatron, turning back to a monitor on his desk.

Cyclonus bowed slightly and left the room, saying nothing further.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

The surface of Chaar between the mine and the original headquarters was changing more rapidly than that of Cybertron. Stormvolt flew low and slow over the area after she returned to the burned out planet that was showing a hint of life again. In the months that she had lived there, conditions had far outpaced anything under Galvatron's rule. Naturally the majority of the credit went to the tiny mechs under her command. They were now Decepticons, technically, but she couldn't think of them by any other name than the one jokingly bestowed by Rumble.

XxXxX

The Great Hall was crowded with 'bots. Several were of average size but they were only there to herd the hundreds of small ones and ensure none of them tried to change their mind and leave. Once they decided to stay, the neutrals were made to swear allegiance to Megatron and the Decepticon cause. From a high balcony at the back of the room, Stormvolt watched curiously. She had never seen the ceremony and was interested. The crowd was large enough that Microntis was not easily picked out. It was a brief affair, and after taking the oath they lined up to be marked.

"What's up, Blue?" Said a familiar voice. She glanced down to see that she was flanked by Rumble, who was peering over the edge, and Frenzy who was looking up at her.

"I'm watching these guys get sworn in. You ever see it before?"

"No. I don't think it's been done since way back when the Decepticons first started," said Frenzy

"Everyone after that was born one, eh?"

"You could say that. Now new 'Cons get marked after graduating from the War Academy, but that's different." He turned away and surveyed the crowd below. "Primus, those guys are little."

"A bunch of tiny 'Cons," said Stormvolt, echoing the sentiment.

"Yeah, Minicons," said Rumble with a snicker.

XxXxX

They were small, but when it came to productivity, they were a mighty force. Megatron hadn't been lying about their motivations. They were not entirely friendly, having more of a "go away and let us work" demeanor, but they didn't give her any real problems. Direct interaction with certain 'bots, however, had presented difficulties. Most of them spoke normally but others communicated via a series of beeps and chirps. Microntis functioned as a translator and Stormvolt was gradually building a database of the peculiar language within her processors. It wouldn't be long before she could understand them on her own.

Upon arrival on Chaar and being informed of what needed to happen and what was expected, the Minicons quickly organized themselves into teams and got to work. When materials arrived from Cybertron, they immediately began to create a barracks for themselves. After that, a warehouse was erected and near it, a landing strip took shape. The installation of metal decking cut down on the dust a great deal and made the going easier for those with wheeled alt modes.

That was a pleasant surprise. Initially, Stormvolt was all but certain that a lot of the diminutive mechs didn't transform at all. When they finally got down to business, it was a sight to behold. Some of them transformed to Cybertronian construction vehicles. Others were not vehicles but had functions that lent themselves nicely to the work at hand, such as drill attachments for boring into stone. It was similar to the way Rumble and Frenzy changed their arms to pile drivers. In, fact, there were a few of them who had that same ability, but they were not as strong and weren't in danger of causing earthquakes.

The femme noticed the lack of any recreation areas, but that was because they didn't need them. When forced to take a cycle or two off (and she did have to order them,) they spent their free days adding on to or improving already existing structures or else scouting locations for future projects. Chaar's main headquarters, though it started out nothing but a shell, was now virtually as nice as her office and quarters at Darkmount thanks to their constant improvements. Managing them wasn't a hard job at all. They organized themselves and were competitive, each trying to outwork the other individual or team. There were no slackers and the only disputes that needed her intervention were those that sprung up over the best way to approach certain issues in the mine or differing opinions over the quality of work done by competing teams.

Microntis was a big help, yet another thing Megatron was right about. No job was too large or too small and whatever it was, he threw himself into it as if his life depended on it. That was the nature of the mech, especially after going for so long with nothing to do but survive, but he did not forget Cyclonus's warning either. His work would be beyond reproach to whoever cared to inspect it. He and Stormvolt got along nicely once ground rules were established.

"My name is Stormvolt. If you absolutely insist upon it, you can call me ma'am, but this 'Mistress' business ends now," she said to him on their first day together. They were rearranging the old mine headquarters to use until the new one was finished and she noticed that whenever she asked him to do something, he replied with that term of address.

The little mech appeared surprised, but nodded and replied, "As you wish Mi-, I mean, _ma'am_."

"Thank you."

"You are welcome."

She nearly replied further but realized the exchange of manners could go on for hours. His eagerness to please was almost disturbing, but she had no complaints about his work. Still, she didn't mind when the others needed him. Of all the Minicons who stayed, he was the only one who transformed into a transit, a surveying instrument that measured vertical and horizontal angles. He had additional functions and was often in demand. It was nice to have him out of the office occasionally instead of hanging around waiting to be at her beck and call, despite the fact that it appeared to please him to no end.

Her flight path brought her to the mine. She considered dropping in but, no, that would disrupt their efforts and she was out here only yesterday. Ugh, with all this super efficiency anybody could do her job. On the other hand…. Many Decepticons would interfere and try to bully and abuse their charges. She had the feeling that to attempt such actions would have disastrous results despite the fact that the Minicons were dinky and unarmed.

How much longer was she going to have to stay here? The boredom was close to overwhelming some days. It got bad enough that a training session, with all its dings and minor pains, would be a welcome change. If Cyclonus visited now and then it would make all the difference in the world, but he was constantly kept busy. Coincidence? Not likely.

It would be easier if Megatron simply expressed his displeasure openly instead of coming up with these weird punishments. Whenever she made her regularly scheduled visits to update him on the latest progress, he listened with interest and approved of all she was doing. He was almost pleasant, if not for that knowing gleam in his optics that made her wonder what he was up to. That guy never did anything without a reason. She and Cyclonus didn't dare discuss it in their nightly calls. An encrypted channel was never a guarantee of absolutely security.

Her radar indicated another aircraft inbound at an exceptionally high rate of speed. There was only one who moved that fast. She transformed and turned to watch as Cyclonus dropped down from the stars and into Chaar's airspace. He transformed when he got close.

"Greetings, Stormvolt," he said.

"Greetings. How did you manage to get away?"

"Lord Megatron is pleased with our work and has graciously decided to allow us to have the rest of the cycle free."

"Seriously? He didn't mention it to me, not that I'm complaining. It's been so long, I don't know where to go or what to do first."

"I have somewhere in mind. And an activity to occupy us once we arrive."

"Oh yeah? What's that?" She asked with a grin.

"The location is the unnamed planet. As for activities, it has been much too long since we worked on your combat skills."

XxXxXxXxXxXxX

The rocky outcropping where the two Decepticons sat was bathed in an eerie glow from the red moon. Neither of them spoke, each was lost in their own thoughts. It was on a night a lot like this and in a similar area that Cyclonus declared his intentions. It sounded bizarre to her then, but Stormvolt had since decided that she very much liked his being "the exclusive recipient of her intimate companionship" and getting his in return. They'd been through a lot after that night, to say the least. It felt like it had happened ages ago. She gave him a sidelong glance. The mech hadn't been joking about her combat training. They spent hours on the usual items. Not once did he try to put the moves on her and he didn't seem to notice when she made subtle overtures. What was the deal there? He was sitting there ramrod straight, staring out into the darkness with his usual deadpan expression. There were things she knew about him now that others would never suspect in a million years, and she would never tell. It was nothing world shattering, just personal quirks, but it was nice having a secret that was harmless for once. No lives hung in the balance.

Now _that_ was unusual. She'd carried dangerous information of one kind or another for so long it was strange not to have any. Okay, that wasn't totally true. Her former life as a human should remain quiet. That would bring all kinds of bullshit down on her, and that she and Cyclonus were an item probably ought to be downplayed too lest the others think that this was how she gained her current rank, but that was more politics than secrets.

Cyclonus continued to peer into the night. They did not have to be back at their posts for several hours yet but he felt more pressured than ever to say what was on his mind. He'd turned it over and over in his processors for weeks before now. It wasn't lost on him that he was in this same position before in nearly the same place. It went well previously, why not now? He glanced over at the femme. She had drawn one leg up to her chest and placed her arms around it, resting her chin on the knee as she stared up at the moon.

"Stormvolt…."

"Hm?"

"If I were to fall in a way other than honorable combat, would you avenge me?"

"What?" Boy, he came out of nowhere with that one. "Why? Are you planning something?"

"No. Perhaps I am not making myself clear."

"You are not."

"What I mean is, if you became a victim of an underhanded scheme or another kind of treachery that resulted in your end instead dying a true warrior's death, I would make those responsible suffer regardless of how long it took or how difficult it was. They would pay with their miserable lives in the most unpleasant fashion conceivable." His optics burned and his face twisted into a ferocious scowl. She sat up straight and it took a conscious effort for Stormvolt not to scoot backward away from him.

He calmed himself and continued. "That is a hypothetical scenario, however if the positions were reversed, would you do the same?"

She considered the idea. What if Vortex or Motormaster were successful in their attempt to overthrow Galvatron? They would have had no choice but to eliminate Cyclonus to make it happen, and it would have been by the lowest means available to them. Stormvolt felt the beginning twinges of anger at the mere idea. Oh yeah, they would not get away with it while she lived. But why was he asking about this now?

"Of course I would. But I don't understand what you're getting at," she said.

Cyclonus looked down, gathering his thoughts, and then back up at her. "There is no one whom I trust more than you."

"Not even Megatron?"

If there was truly no Galvatron and never had been, his programming in that regard was nothing but an error. It was like suddenly gaining free will, and for a long time he'd been unsure of how to handle it. Cyclonus had no aspirations toward total leadership of the Decepticons. He would remain loyal to Megatron unless given a legitimate reason to do otherwise. Was what he was saying interpretable as disloyalty? Possibly, if it were Galvatron he was speaking of. He had wrestled with the idea constantly after being restored by the Allspark. He had never said it out loud until now and struggled with the admission before finally answering. "No."

"Are you feeling alright?" She asked. This was huge! That he seriously rated her (or anybody, for that matter) higher than Megatron at something? What had gotten into him? Was it a malfunction? The mech acted uneasy and was growing more agitated.

"Yes, yes. I am fine," he said, crossly. This wasn't working. She didn't get what he was leading up to at all. It was time to abandon his attempt at politeness and be blunt. He was much better at that.

"You sure? Because I ," Stormvolt began,

"I have never been more certain of anything," Cyclonus interrupted, swinging one hand through the air in a slashing motion for emphasis. "What I am attempting to say is that, if you agree, I would like us to become…bonded."

Briefly, she stared at him with her mouth hanging open in shock, then she closed it but didn't look any less stunned. Well, shit, this was his night to be surprising. No wonder he was acting edgy and weird.

He watched closely, trying to be patient. It was a huge decision and should not be rushed. Had he asked too soon?

"I don't know what to say," she said.

"You and I function together perfectly in every way. We have conquered adversity and risen to positions of prominence among our kind. To me it is a logical and natural progression," said Cyclonus.

"I wasn't expecting you to ask this soon. Maybe later, once everything was closer to normal."

Cyclonus chuckled. "But you _were_ expecting me to ask?"

It was another moment for the femme to be glad they didn't share human reactions, this time blushing. She had thought he would approach the possibility at some point if they remained together and had considered what it would be like. She had no reference and only a vague sense of what it was all about. In her long ago discussion with Skywarp she learned that spark bonding wasn't a euphemism but was indeed a bond. Having not experienced it firsthand, Skywarp couldn't define it in exact terms but he described it as being sort of like mind reading…but not. When two sparks were joined thereafter each of the parties involved had a strong sense of what the other was feeling but they didn't know what they were thinking. It was more than that simple explanation, but the seeker had been at a loss to explain it.

"Not to sound presumptuous, but yeah, I thought you might bring it up eventually for the exact reasons you mentioned. Eventually being the key word," she said.

"The future is never certain. We are Decepticons. Our 'normal' is chaos and conquering not peace and quiet. This may be as close as we get to what you consider ordinary. I do not foresee a better opportunity," he said.

"It's a huge step, though," said Stormvolt, unable to effectively express her feelings adequately. "Is this the way it's usually done?"

"You are drawing a comparison to a human ritual aren't you?" He'd been around her long enough to understand a number of the ways her thought processes worked.

"That's all the experience I have to go with in this case."

"I see. To answer your question, yes. There is no formal announcement. It is a private decision made between two Cybertronians without interference."

"It isn't a decision to be made lightly, either."

"No, it is not."

Such a big deal was made of marriage but it wasn't close no matter how much two humans loved one another. It was an agreement but nothing made it binding. Yeah, there were papers and laws and religious faiths, but none of that was a permanent physical condition. And a spark bond truly was "until death do us part." In fact, the bond was so strong that if one half was killed, the other often was damaged to the point that they slowly deactivated from grief or became dangerously unstable. If you considered certain cases, she guessed they were similar to humans in that one way.

"Allow me to ask you this: When you simulated the idea in your processors, how did you respond?" Cyclonus asked.

"I said 'yes'," Stormvolt replied.

"And yet now you are hesitant. What are your concerns?" Cyclonus asked.

"I'm kind of worried about what it's like. It's irreversible isn't it? What if we don't like it?"

"It may surprise you further to learn that I conducted research on this and nowhere did I find a single instance of anyone regretting the decision and attempting to reverse it."

"Really?"

"Really." It was true. Having existed no longer than he had, Cyclonus realized that there were certain gaps in his knowledge and spent some of the little free time he'd had to delve into the medical research database. If he had known of the secret archive containing information on medical experiments conducted on Autobot prisoners, he would have been extremely impressed by the strength of spark bonds. Not even Shockwave was able to break one apart through any manner of force.

For a split second, Stormvolt thought having Megatron in her head again would come in handy right now. No, that was bullshit. She could make her own decisions with no outside help. Oh, but this one was a whopper. It was one thing to imagine and all together different to be faced with the actual item. But he had a point. Not once in the 'simulations' did she ever consider refusing. And she already knew she loved him. She had never said it. He hadn't said it either, but she knew he did. He professed his affection in peculiar ways occasionally, but nothing said "I love you," like threatening to painfully murder someone in revenge.

"Have you decided?" Cyclonus asked.

"I… Yes."

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

"Excellent work, Shockwave," Megatron said, not averting his gaze from the window in front of them.

"Thank you my lord," Shockwave replied, sounding businesslike but inwardly beaming.

The mechs stood peering through a large two-way mirror into a room containing the results of Shockwave's efforts.

"When was the last infusion of protoform material?" Megatron asked.

"Ten cycles ago. The larger they become the longer it takes each new infusion to become acclimated."

Inside the room sat a seeker and an armored assault vehicle. What stood out about them was that they were only about one third of the size they should be. They were throwing a ball of scrap metal back and forth, each hurling it as hard as they could at the other. Both were having fun and were totally unaware that they were being watched. It was unusual too, that they would get along as well as they did, but this was far from a normal situation. They were kept in strict isolation, seeing no one aside from Shockwave and each other. They had no one else to influence them and had yet to develop the usual flight capable versus ground based mech animosity.

"What about their processors?"

"It is that same as the rest of their systems. Size is limited. Right now, they do not have the capacity to accommodate the full amount of basic programming. But with each infusion, it is increased."

"And it was the seeker who had the failing spark, correct?"

"Yes, although implantation into a body appears to have saved it. Testing shows no difference between the two of them."

Megatron nodded thoughtfully, not taking his optics off the undersized Decepticons. "It is not an ideal solution, however it is far preferable to having sparks going to waste," he said. "And it will give you more storage space. I suspect when work slows and the peace continues, there will be an influx of new sparks. I want you to select a support staff to assist you in overseeing your new charges immediately. As soon as you have, begin with the fading sparks and implant them all into protoforms. Once that is completed, train members of your staff to continue the process with normal sparks. You will be busy with another project, that if successful, will increase our numbers further."

"New project, Sir?" The vast number of sparks stored now would give them thousands of new soldiers. Why the rush?

"Yes, and it is to be discussed with no one, other than myself. You will send no transmissions regarding it, nor will you store any information in any computer system connected to a network. Utmost security and secrecy are required."

"But what is it?" Shockwave was already intrigued.

"All in good time. First, I must get the groundwork into place," said Megatron with a sly smile.

"When will you begin?"

"Patience, Shockwave. It is a delicate procedure and cannot be rushed. You will have ample opportunity to prepare."

"Yes, Sir. Please excuse my eagerness."

"Carry on," said Megatron as he walked away. Secrecy was the top priority. What he had in mind would bring about another war if the Autobots got wind of it and it was much too soon for that. There were numerous details that had to be explored before the plan was set into motion.

XxXxXxXxXxXxX

It was only the second time that Stormvolt had ever seen a spark and it was wildly different and yet somehow perfect to her. The spherical outer shell was dark. It looked like a giant onyx at first but then when the threads of light flickered within she saw that it was purple. The light was also peculiar as it flared outward from the center. It was dark but still emitted illumination. It reminded her of a photographic negative. Did it have to do with Unicron's forced reformatting or had it always been like that? She didn't care. Soon she would know its secrets as Cyclonus would know hers. He was raptly staring at her spark. She didn't see it directly but a blue glow reflected off of his armor. Warnings glared in the edges of her vision, one after the other. There were only seconds to think about it before a narrow beam of light shot forward to join one emanating from her own spark, both spinning together and forming a deep violet ray. In that moment she knew his feelings for her and it was easy to see why he wasn't good at expressing them. They were huge, powerful, almost violent, and completely overwhelming. Then the ray connected them mind and soul and eclipsed any further thought.

XxXxXxXxXxXxX

Beyond the horizon Iacon glowed more brightly than ever, as did the red, downward slanted optics that stared in its direction. All living quarters in Darkmount had a balcony, albeit not as large as the one Megatron stood upon now. It wasn't merely a pleasant addition. The primary function was to serve as a place to assess immediate threats to the fortress and then launch oneself into the battle. No one could cover that many exits.

_Enjoy it, Autobot scum. Your magnanimity will be the death of you all, _Megatron thought. He wondered if they yet regretted the peace agreement. He knew the Autobots were watching them. Prime was not such a fool as to believe the Decepticons would go quietly into obscurity. Above him the stars glittered, although not as brilliantly now that Darkmount was fully lit. More and more of their territory was coming back to life. Gradually this sliver of Cybertron would rise to assimilate the entire planet. The sounds of construction drifted to him and made him more restless. It didn't matter how hard they worked, it would never be fast enough.

He shifted his gaze downward to view the goings on in the courtyard. A group of mechs was working on their hand-to-hand combat techniques. Megatron smirked. He could easily take any one of them. In fact, it would be a fine way to work off his restiveness. Perhaps he would go down there and . He completely forgot the idea as he felt an odd hitch in his spark. He gripped the railing in front of him as he waited to see if happened again or grew worse. It wasn't painful, but what…? After a few seconds, the confused scowl on his faceplate gave way to a chilling smile. _Now _he knew what it was. Another of his schemes had advanced exactly as planned, albeit slightly sooner than anticipated. Certainly the next phase would happen on its own with no prompting from him. What complications it might cause him, he didn't know but it was a risk he would have to take in order to achieve other goals. It didn't concern him much. He had a gift for turning inconveniences into advantages. And if it became an unendurable nuisance, there was an easy and permanent way to fix it.


	55. Snowball

Author's note: More at the end. Thanks for reading. Transformers belongs to Hasbro and Takara, not me.

A Blessing and A Curse  
By: Quetzal1

Chapter 54  
Snowball

XxX

Shockwave entered the latest data on his two charges. The most recent infusion of energon had been absorbed but the size increase hadn't happened yet. His study indicated that each new infusion took longer to work than the one before, though not by much. But when it did it was impressive. By the end of the week these two should be more than half as large as normal Decepticons. If their processors also increased in size the way they had previously, they would be big enough to accommodate their introductory basic programming. Shockwave had taken care to educate them on certain matters such as their being a part of the Decepticons and who the higher ranking officers were and how they should behave if they encountered any of them, particularly the respect they should give Megatron. Both of the young 'bots were instructed on the finer points of who Megatron was to the point that they were already afraid of him, and that was without knowing any of the violent acts he had committed over the course of his life. The pair got along remarkably well. Their education at the War Academy would put a stop to that, but then simple exposure to their peers would likely have the same effect. It was nothing to him either way. Once they had achieved full growth and received their basic programming they wouldn't be his problem anymore.

"That will be all for today," said Shockwave. "You are free to entertain yourselves now. Your energon will be delivered later, close to your recharge period."

"Shockwave?" Asked the seeker, looking up at him with wide red optics. Time to turn on the charm. When Shockwave wasn't telling them a bunch of things they were mostly not interested in, they had to participate in medical tests and answer a lot of dumb questions. The older they became the more boring it all was. And they were especially tired of being cooped up. They were either in the medical area or a small, blank room where they received lessons or else they were here in the largest room where they sat around or played games of their own invention.

"Yes, Blueshift?"

"Could we go somewhere besides here? What about outside?"

"No. We have discussed this already." What pests they were! He would not miss this when they had the means to create protoforms the normal way again.

"Why not?" Questioned the little but heavily armored 'bot sitting nearby. He was not going to try charisma, he wasn't good at it.

"Hammerhead, I am not going to explain it again. You must stay here for your own safety and that is non-negotiable.

"Fine."

Shockwave paused as if he were going to lecture them. Blueshift slouched in rejection and also resignation at hearing the stupid reasons again. He was also disappointed in Hammerhead. Normally he put up a protracted argument and seemed to come closer to wearing the larger 'bot down with each one. Not today.

"Very well," Shockwave said, and entered the code that opened the door. He stepped through and waited for it to close lest the other two try to escape.

"Slag. Stuck here again," said Blueshift. "And what's your problem? 'Fine.' What kind of argument is that?"

"Arguing is for guys who don't know what I know," Hammerhead said smugly, leaning back against the wall.

"What? What do you know? Tell me."

"I can get us out of here whenever I want."

"No you can't."

"Wanna bet?"

"How?"

"I know the code for the door, that's how." Hammerhead was destined for greatness through the use of a style of mortar that he would master and thereby shell enemies with pinpoint accuracy. One of the skills required for this was outstanding long-range vision. His had developed within the last couple of cycles. Each of the new 'Cons were gradually gaining abilities they didn't entirely understand. It happened after Shockwave connected them to the machines that added protoform material, whatever that was. Hammerhead's weapon systems were not fully developed so he didn't make the connection between that and his vision. All he knew was that he could suddenly see things from far away. That included the keypad on the door. If he were at the opposite end of the room, probably Shockwave didn't think he was able to see it from there and this unawareness allowed the secret to get out.

"No you don't." Blueshift said. He was in no mood. Being locked up in windowless rooms all day every day was beginning to bother him with increasing intensity. It made him frustrated and anxious for reasons that were inexplicable to him. He was flight capable and had been for a while, but there wasn't enough room in here. He could zip from one end of the room to the other but there wasn't sufficient space to execute a turn without crashing into a wall, ceiling or floor. They had seen images of Megatron and the others, and the wide-open sky visible behind them in a few of the shots had fascinated the seeker. _That _was outside these rooms? He had to see it.

"Yes I do and I can prove it. C'mon." He got up and casually walked to the door.

"You can't even reach it," said Blueshift with a grin.

"That's where you come in." Hammerhead crouched down and then tapped one of his shoulders. "Get on. You know, like when we try to see out of the door in the classroom."

"Okay." Blueshift gently positioned himself until he was standing on Hammerhead's shoulders. His balance wasn't thrown off at all when the heavier mech stood up.

"Can you reach the buttons?" Hammerhead asked.

"Yes. Now what."

"Enter this combination." He rattled off a string of numbers and waited. The door slid open, startling Blueshift, who didn't think it would work. The lighter mech jumped back down to the floor, landing gently. Both of them had antigravity capability but Shockwave had seen fit to disable it for now. No sense in making them any harder to keep track of. They didn't let that little shortcoming get in their way.

"Let's go!" Said Blueshift. He started to run from the room but was grabbed by the arm and hauled back.

"Not until you say it," said Hammerhead.

"Alright, alright. I was wrong."

This satisfied the mech but his friend couldn't resist going over the top with it.

"How, oh HOW, could I have ever doubted you?" The seeker cried dramatically, dropping to his knees and raising his arms toward the ceiling.

"That's enough. Let's get out of here before the door closes again."

They peeked around the sides of the door and then walked out into a short hallway. There was a door at the end with another keypad.

"I guess you know the code for that one too," said Blueshift.

"Frag!" said Hammerhead, bunching his hands into fists and glaring at a nearby wall as if he might punch a hole in it. He noticed the seeker frowning in concentration and that stopped him. What was he thinking?

"I've got it."

"What?"

"How we'll get out. Follow me."

The pair quickly moved to a door near the end of the hall that had no obvious security measures. Blueshift gently pushed it open and grinned. It was a storage room and its appearance suggested no one had used it recently. "We'll hide in here and wait until someone opens the door and then sneak out before they see us."

"Sounds too easy."

"Trust me."

They waited longer than they wanted to, but eventually a tall, gangly 'bot neither of them recognized came in from the hallway. Whoever it was didn't wait around for the door to close. They were out of sight quickly.

"Let's get out of here," said Hammerhead.

"Quit shoving, I'm going."

They slipped out into the corridor a second before the door slid closed. Both of them were silent for a moment, taking in the enormity of their surroundings that were unbelievably vast after their constant confinement.

"What should we do first?" Asked Blueshift.

"How about a game. We've never had this much room before," Hammerhead replied, looking all around.

"Search and Destroy?"

"Okay, but I get to be the hunter first."

"Fine with me, but you're going to be searching for cycles."

"Why is that?"

"This is why." Blueshift jumped up and transformed into an almost half-sized tetrajet and blasted away down a long hall and around a corner.

"Go on flyboy, I've got tracking radar. You can't hide forever," Hammerhead muttered and then transformed to his alt mode. It was a lot easier and faster hauling all that armor around on six wheels. He paused for a reading and then began rolling down the hall at a high rate of speed.

XxXxXxXxXxXxX

It was great to be home, Stormvolt thought as she walked to her office. Although she'd visited here on a weekly basis the entire length of her stay on Chaar, it felt like she had been away for ages. It was peculiar, as usual, the way Megatron decided to move her back here a month after she and Cyclonus had bonded. She was certain that he knew about the two of them. On her first trip to see him after it happened he watched her with that odd expression of amusement and speculation that creeped her out. He didn't talk to her inside her head anymore, but didn't he once say that even after the processor was transplanted to Galvatron that they would remain connected? No way. He had to be wrong about something eventually. But yeah, it seemed like he had at the least an idea of anything she did, or in some cases, thought. Hey, he'd lived in her mind for years and before then he was around her on nearly a daily basis. After all that, he was surely good at guessing what was on her mind. That or she was easy to read. As opposed to Cyclonus….

She knew when he was near enough to see her without using radar or any other sensors simply because of the force of his feelings. He didn't show them much outwardly, (definitely not when anyone else was about) but inwardly and especially when they were alone it was like trying to stand in a hurricane. There was no warm fuzziness about any of it, but it wasn't cold and possessive either. Ferocious was a good word for it. Maybe because it was all new to him. Given years to get used to it, perhaps he would calm down. What did he pick up from her? He likely wouldn't be able to explain it if asked to. It was weird, but it was all good.

It was also great to be on her own without Microntis's hovering presence too. The little guy meant well, but it was like being mothered. He would be transferred here shortly, according to Megatron, but was currently assisting a mech named Sawtooth with getting used to the way things worked on Chaar. Stormvolt didn't know Sawtooth well, (Megatron had selected him without her input) but he behaved acceptably during the interval she was around to transfer management to him. She was sure that if he took to mistreating the Minicons, word of it would reach her immediately. She was still in charge of operations there despite being relocated back to Cybertron. If Sawtooth botched the job and production fell, she would answer to Megatron. Now there would be weekly visits to Chaar to check on things. All in all, a preferable arrangement. She had just returned from visiting the southernmost point of their territory to see how the construction of a stronghold there was going. There was a brief report to write regarding that and then….

Her stream of thought was interrupted by engine noise, specifically a jet, but it sounded funny. She continued past her office and rounded a corner to see what all the commotion was. As she stepped out into the open, an undersized tetrajet swept around another corner and avoided crashing into her by the barest centimeters. The sudden maneuver caused it to go out of control and she watched as it transformed into a 'bot and landed on its feet sliding sideways along the metal floor in a spray of yellow sparks.

"Are you okay?" Stormvolt asked, when he came to a stop.

"Yes, I - ," he began. When he glanced up at her, his annoyance changed to surprise. "You're Deputy Air Commander Stormvolt aren't you?"

"Yes. And you are?"

"Forgive me ma'am. My designation is Blueshift. And may I say it is a pleasure to meet you."

"Likewise." What was the deal here? There was Rumble and Frenzy, and there were Minicons. She hadn't heard of any pint sized seekers. And wasn't he formal? His greeting felt rehearsed to her. "Where were you before coming to Darkmount?"

His pleasure changed to puzzlement at the question. "What do you mean?"

"What was your previous duty assignment?"

"I don't have one, I guess. What is it?"

This kept getting stranger. It was like talking to a kid, except there wasn't any such thing. Was there?

"A duty assignment is where you live and what mission you have while you're there."

"Oh. I live with Hammerhead. Shockwave keeps both of us in a lab area. Our mission is to answer questions and let Shockwave maintain us and then we play games and consume energon."

Taken out of context, that sounded really creepy, Stormvolt thought. Did whatever Shockwave was doing explain his size?

"Who's Hammerhead?"

"He's my friend. He's not a seeker though."

More engine noise echoed in the corridor, eliminating the chance for further questions. Suddenly, a half-sized heavy assault vehicle came around the corner so fast that it tipped up on two wheels. The engine noise died abruptly as the vehicle changed into a heavily built, but petite mech who leapt into the air and tackled Blueshift. The collision was worse than the engine noise. They rolled together into the wall.

"Ha! You're destroyed, now you have to find me."

"Get off. Can't you see I'm talking?" Blueshift said, shoving at the heavier 'bot.

"I know. That's how I got you. Not paying attention."

"No, don't you see who it is?"

Stormvolt watched as the new arrival got to his feet and stared at her curiously before recognition dawned on him. "Please excuse the interruption, ma'am," he said.

"It's alright. You must be Hammerhead."

The discussion went no further. A door on the opposite side of the hall opened and Cyclonus emerged, glowering. How was he supposed to get any work done with the din of a small battle out here?

"Who is responsible for this disturbance?" He asked, immediately directing the force of his stare at two undersized mechs he had never seen before.

Stormvolt watched as the pair spun to face him and immediately awed expressions were on their faceplates, especially Blueshift, who finally spoke.

"Greetings, Air Commander Cyclonus."

"Who are you?" He was too annoyed to be polite. They shrunk back from him slightly.

"This is Blueshift and Hammerhead," said Stormvolt. "They live here in one of Shockwave's laboratories, evidently."

"Is that so? And what are they doing here?" He calmed measurably in the femme's presence. It was one of the benefits of their bond. If she was serene and he was not, all he had to do was allow the connection to influence him. Once he was able to control the bond's effects on him, he found it a rather pleasant condition. And he particularly liked to indulge in experiencing her feelings toward him when they were alone. They were strong and steady and felt unbreakable. Unfortunately right now he could do no more than borrow a measure of her calmness.

"Good question. What are you doing running around in the halls?"

"Shockwave never lets us do anything, so we decided to escape and see what was out there," said Hammerhead without a trace of remorse.

"He is unaware that you are free?" Cyclonus asked, with a hint of amusement.

"He might know by now. We meant to sneak back in before he found out."

"That won't be necessary," rasped another voice.

The small 'Cons were respectful to Stormvolt, impressed with Cyclonus, and, upon turning to discover Megatron, astonished and scared.

"All hail Lord Megatron," they said in unison, suddenly dropping to one knee and bowing, appearing terrified.

"Hail Megatron," Cyclonus and Stormvolt replied.

"Enough!" Said Megatron. He came down to this area to get out of his own office for a bit and find out the latest developments with the new stronghold and on Chaar. He did not expect to discover the end results of his experiments loitering about. "What are the two of you doing out of the laboratory?"

"Y- You see sir, we, uh, we wanted to see the rest of Darkmount and Shockwave doesn't let us go anywhere so we decided to do it on our own," said Blueshift

"I see. And did it occur to you that perhaps Shockwave had very good reasons for keeping you confined for now, not the least of which was because _I_ told him to?" Megatron demanded, standing over the two mechs who had scooted closer together as if that would ward off any oncoming attacks.

"No sir. We didn't know that," said Hammerhead, in an oddly tiny voice.

Megatron continued to glare at them without speaking, making them squirm in anticipation of a horrible punishment. At last he broke the tension.

"The two of you will immediately return to the laboratory, and you would be wise to forego any unsanctioned trips in the future."

Stormvolt honestly worried that he was going to punt one or both of them down the hall when they scurried past. He used that low, withering tone she was familiar with that always made her feel about an inch tall. She could only imagine what it did to those two.

Megatron preferred that they had remained a secret for now, but this was not the worst possible outcome. "Undoubtedly you have questions as to what is going on. Come with me and I will show you," he said. It was early, but he could take this as an opportunity to begin preparations for the next step in the education of his new soldiers.

Cyclonus noticed that at first Megatron appeared annoyed at their accidental discovery, but then pleased at the prospect of showing off one of his ideas. Whatever it was, it was sure to be interesting.

XxXxXxXxXxX

"It is not ideal, but I must say that it is clever," said Cyclonus as he walked back toward his office with Stormvolt. Megatron's explanation was quite involved. Never would he have guessed that this was going on beneath Darkmount. It made him wonder what else was hidden away that their leader didn't see fit to tell them about.

"Yes, Shockwave's going to have a regular daycare center down there soon," said Stormvolt.

"What is that?"

"It's a place where humans send their offspring to be looked after and to learn basic things usually during the day part of a cycle when the creators are at their places of employment."

"I see. What do they learn?"

"Oh, the proper manners to use when interacting with others. Colors, counting, the alphabet, maybe some spelling. Like I said, basics."

"Why not information that is beneficial such as the chain of command and combat techniques?"

"They learn about that when they get older in a place called 'middle school'. Figuratively speaking, that is."

Cyclonus nodded and they walked on in silence for a couple of minutes. He was tasked with finding places for the new 'bots until there were enough of them to compose a full size class, and then develop a training program that would be used as part of the new War Academy. It was not a minor undertaking.

"Does that ever happen?" Stormvolt asked.

"What?"

"Do Decepticons ever participate in the upbringing of the sparks they create once they have a body?"

"No, of course not. You forget that in normal circumstances, this abnormality does not exist. A spark is implanted into a protoform and is full size immediately. Soon after, the primary characteristics begin to evolve. Once they do, basic programming is installed and then they receive the remainder of their training and education at the War Academy once they have finished the change from the protoform stage to their final configuration."

"They don't have any involvement at all?"

"No. Why do you ask?" She never asked a lot of questions without having something going in her processors.

"No reason."

That was a lie. He felt it. There was nothing malevolent in it, but his character demanded an answer. Even without their bond he would have suspected she had a plan in the works.

"It is not for 'no reason'. What are you considering?" He asked.

"I was thinking…at some point you and I will generate a spark, right?"

"Presumably."

"And the way Megatron talked suggested this thing they're doing now is the way it's going to be for a long time, until we get better established."

"Go on."

"What if you and I had an active involvement in its evolution?"

"Neither of us has the available time required for such an endeavor."

"I don't mean every minute of the day. But what if we visited them and took them out and around occasionally?" She had never considered herself maternal. Not as a human and not now, but the idea of creating a new Decepticon and then handing them over to be solely under the influence of Shockwave was highly objectionable.

"And what would we do with them during those intervals?"

"I don't know. Teach them to think for themselves?"

"That will happen on its own," said Cyclonus, entering the pass code on the lock outside his office. The door immediately slid upward.

"Yes, but wouldn't sooner be better than later?" Stormvolt asked as she followed him inside.

"Perhaps. What else?"

"We could teach them stuff like combat and basic medical knowledge. You did a pretty good job with me. Think of the possibilities with someone who had that much of a head start. And we will have them under our command eventually. I would want them to be prepared, wouldn't you?"

As usual she was making a good argument. And any mech or femme that he had a hand in creating should be among the finest of their kind. With their input how would this hypothetical 'bot be anything other than the pride of the Decepticon Army?

"It is worth further consideration. But you are forgetting one important fact."

"What's that?"

"We have yet to create the required spark," said Cyclonus, with a wily smirk as he moved close to the femme.

"You're right. We should get to work on that."

XxXxX

Megatron pressed a softly glowing button on the console beside him and ended the transmission of the conversation between his subordinates. If they were successful, he would know as soon as they did, but not to the same extent. For that he was thankful. Feeling what he did as much as he did was bad enough. Bad, but extremely useful. Thanks to the link he still maintained with the femme, he knew the gist of her emotions and could often translate that into possible trains of thought. And now that she was bonded to Cyclonus, he also had vague impressions of what went on in those processors. It was nothing exact of course, but it was enough to allow him to detect treachery. It was all so delightfully complicated.

He knew they would produce sparks, or at least attempt to, but the discovery of his experiments seemed to have expedited the process. Megatron was curious to see if it was possible. For a former human and one of Unicron's abominations to be able to successfully bond was surprising, but he had his doubts about their abilities to create a spark. He hoped they were able to do it. Not for their happiness or for the good of his people but for reasons of his own. If all went well, it would make things even more knotty for him but certainly not impossible.

XxXxXxXxX

Author's note continued: Just in case you're worried that this is going somewhere that's super dull, I promise the action will pick up again, but of course I don't want to give anything away. Trust me.


	56. The Devil's in the Details

Author's Note: Thanks for reading and commenting and the like. It's all appreciated. Transformers belongs to Hasbro and Takara, not me.

A Blessing and A Curse  
By: Quetzal1

Chapter 55  
The Devil's in the Details

Cyclonus was starting to wonder if perhaps this continuing failure was somehow his fault. Despite several attempts, he and Stormvolt had yet to create a spark. Had the reformatting process damaged him in a way that rendered it impossible? His old incarnation wasn't dead when it happened, according to the video Stormvolt saw. But what if she was mistaken? There also remained the possibility that Unicron's reformatting wasn't the same as the procedure done on Cybertron. There were so many variables and no good way to determine what the issue was. How many times should they try before giving up? The method employed for spark creation was not without dangers. Every effort was pleasurable but ultimately left both of them nearly depleted of energy and feeling out of sorts afterwards. And then there was the hesitation he managed to hide regarding the whole endeavor. He wanted it to happen but yet wondered if it would cause more trouble than either of them were prepared for.

He knew she had more in mind than visiting their creation and imparting extra instruction. It might start out that way, but she would get more and more involved as if this new being wasn't also a war machine whose main objective in life was to cause death to their enemies, and in turn die for their cause. Or was it? Cyclonus cared nothing about Stormvolt's human origins. As far as he was concerned she had successfully prevailed over any organic shortcomings, but were those undesirable traits able to be passed on? A new spark was made from the energy of two others and those imparted certain characteristics of the donors. What if their creation inherited the worst of human failings and couldn't overcome them? He tried to imagine a Decepticon who had pacifist tendencies. What good would training do one who refused to use it? It put them on the same level as a neutral. The mech remembered with disgust the Cybertronians who had colonized a planet and lived peacefully, not even possessing weapons. A 'bot with those leanings was unfit to be a Decepticon and deserving of execution. Yes, and he imagined the reaction of his mate if he told her of that particular opinion. She would accept their creation no matter what path they chose, short of joining the Autobots. And he wondered if she could willingly sent them into danger, as would surely be required when Megatron was ready to reclaim Cybertron.

And he might be wrong. Their creation had the potential to become a legendary warrior, or at least average. Average among their kind wasn't bad but he didn't know if he could settle for that in one of his own or not. But if they were not the greatest fighter, they would certainly be among the smartest. High intelligence made up for a lot. And what about the special ability that would be unique to them alone? He would never know if they didn't try.

A knock on the door interrupted his reverie. It was Sunstorm. Cyclonus had chosen him to supervise Blueshift until the War Academy was functional again and scheduled a meeting with him to go over the particulars. Good. It would take his mind off of problems he shouldn't have to give so much thought to, in his opinion.

XxXxXxXxXxX

The mine was a hive of hurried activity as always. Everywhere Minicons were drilling into the rocky walls or hauling away the ranazite, which had already been freed. The output had increased after Stormvolt left thanks to the ceaseless analysis of the crew bosses.

"I don't get it. What's in it for these guys? Why do they go at it so hard?" Sawtooth asked. Initially, when he had taken over operations on Chaar, he didn't believe that the mine pretty much ran itself. A few days into the job proved that it was indeed true, but it confounded him.

"This is what they do. They like it and they're good at it," said Stormvolt with a shrug. "I gave up trying to understand a while ago." One of the small mechs walked by carrying a heavy beam, and nodded at the femme who returned it. "You haven't had any problems with them have you?"

"No. Other than I get an attitude from them every time I come out here."

"How often is that?"

"Daily."

"There's your problem. Cut back to every three."

"But how do I know they won't be out here slacking off?"

"Try it. They know what's expected and don't like somebody constantly watching over their shoulders."

"Alright. But if production falls off, don't blame me."

"I'm not worried about it, and if that's all, I'm out of here. Do you need anything sent up with the next shuttle?"

"No."

"Okay. Ravage will be here to do one of his sweeps in the next cycle or two."

"Wonderful," said Sawtooth. As with many of the Decepticons he didn't much care for Soundwave or his minions. Ravage was sent up regularly to sweep the mine and the barracks to ensure there were no clandestine operations going on that they needed to be aware of. Occasionally Ratbat performed the same task but no one saw him coming or going.

"I'm out. Call if you have any problems."

Sawtooth nodded and she turned and made for the surface. As always, it was a relief to get out from underground and into the air again. There was no need to rush back to Cybertron and she set a course that would take her around Chaar at its equator. It was relaxing. She flew around under the guise of checking for abnormalities but was really using it as an opportunity to think.

There wasn't any rush but it seemed like she and Cyclonus should have managed to make a spark by now. For all her skill at repairs there were certain aspects of Cybertronian physiology that she flat out didn't know or didn't have a firm grasp of. She was learning thanks to many hours of study in her limited free time, but there was a long way to go. There was no information regarding a case like hers. Maybe she just wasn't able to do it. Unlike Cyclonus, she felt no guilt at the possibility. If you were going to make a 'bot out of a human, there were bound to be differences that were not obvious. Was there a chance that her spark was unusual in a fashion that precluded the ability to reproduce? If true, it was no one's fault. And what if it wasn't her? It could easily be Cyclonus. Or what if they were both different enough that they didn't work with each other but would be fine with other sparks? What if it was merely a case of trying too hard? Or not hard enough? Now and then she was uncertain as to Cyclonus's interest in this project. She knew that he enjoyed the effort, but she sensed doubt too. Doubt wasn't necessarily the correct word for it, but it was the best she had come up with. The trouble was, she couldn't tell what it was about.

She wasn't sure he was totally on board with the idea of… well, parenting, for lack of a better term. It wasn't a total lack of interest. Stormvolt understood the uncertainty, if that's what he was feeling. She didn't know what to expect either. A new 'Con wasn't going to be like a human child (not that she had much experience with those either.) They immediately spoke and retained new information in their processor without having to test it a bunch of times first. And they developed into their final forms quickly. Blueshift wasn't that old, but he was obviously a tetrajet. True, he didn't have all of his capabilities yet, but they were developing at a high rate. They were like little, naïve adults. Of course that naiveté went by the wayside very soon after they got out amongst the others, most likely. And how about that friendship with Hammerhead? What would the final basic programming do to that? If it did nothing, the War Academy definitely would when they were divided into air and ground units and developed the biases that came with it. Too bad. If they got along with each other, there was no telling how strong a force they would become. But see? That bullshit was something she and Cyclonus could warn their creation of thereby eliminating a tiny amount of unnecessary infighting in the future.

He wouldn't be against that, would he? Was he worried that she would get too attached? It made sense because she had that same concern herself. How did you create a new life and then send them off to conceivably get blown away without caring? If you did things the normal way, you'd never know if a soldier was your own or not. Not a bad system when you considered what Decepticons were all about. She had a feeling that Cyclonus was capable of that. If everything worked and they made a new spark, and were permitted to enact their plan, she didn't think the mech would be indulgent when it came to dealing with their offspring. He would probably be as stern a disciplinarian as he had been with her. Except that he had changed to a degree where that was concerned. But that was a different kind of relationship. The only real way to determine the outcome was to make it happen. If it turned out to be a bad plan, they stopped and allowed their creation to be brought up in the same way as others had for million of years. It would be painful, but it was an alternative. A sucky alternative, but at least an option.

Then there was the Megatron factor. What if the entire scheme was forbidden? And there existed the possibility that he could tell them "no", simply because he felt like it. There wasn't any way around him. Stormvolt knew that the second they showed up at Shockwave's lab, there would be trouble unless they already had permission from someone higher up and who else was there? Inwardly she cringed at the mere notion of going to see him about such a personal matter. He would give her that smirk and ask a bunch of questions. Ugh.

After another lap of the planet with nothing of interest spotted, she decided to go home. There was plenty to do there. The seeker gained altitude and broke with Chaar's gravity, setting a course for Cybertron.

XxXxXxXxXxX

Blueshift and Hammerhead were in high spirits. Shockwave informed them earlier in the cycle that the infusion of protoform material they had received yesterday was their last. With this round they would attain their full size. It was wonderful news. No more sitting motionless for hours as the process took place, no feeling weird for hours afterward, and best of all, they would be bigger. If not for the trouble they got into before, together they were strong enough to overpower Shockwave and go wherever they felt like.

And hadn't Shockwave been slagging mad about that?

XxXxX

They slunk back to the lab after their run in with Megatron and waited around outside until someone opened the door to leave. That happened to be Shockwave himself, previously alerted via communicator by Megatron, and absolutely livid. They couldn't tell by looking at his faceplate, such as it was, but his tone of voice was more than enough. He yelled at and berated them for a solid half hour before putting them back in the large, mostly empty room and locking them in with a new pass code and an addition to the outside of the door. They heard the heavy metallic scrape but didn't know what it was. And he stayed that way for weeks. They cringed on the inside whenever he came in the room

XxXxX

But… for as angry as he was, Shockwave seemed to get over it abruptly. He was, dare they say it, pleasant to them earlier. His mood was much too good. It made Hammerhead nervous.

"I think he's got plans for us and we're not going to like it," he said, pacing slowly.

"You are paranoid, my friend," Blueshift said, from the corner where he lounged on the floor.

"Think about it. He's had his circuits in a bunch for weeks now and then suddenly he's in a good mood?"

"I don't know. He can't stay like that forever can he? He's got to go back to normal sometime, right?"

"I guess, but I don't trust him."

"Me either, but for a lot of reasons besides that."

The door opened and a mech neither of them knew walked briskly into the room. He was spindly and flimsy looking compared to Shockwave's solidity.

"You are Hammerhead and Blueshift, correct?" He asked.

"Yeah. Who are you?" Hammerhead asked.

"My designation is Laminar. I will be reconnecting your weapon and anti-gravity systems today before we send you to your temporary assignments."

"Finally!" Said Hammerhead. He'd been impatiently waiting for the day he could fire the enormous mortars mounted to his back.

"Wait a minute. What do you mean 'assignments'?" Said Blueshift. He was anxious to be armed as much as Hammerhead, but it was the last part that caught his attention.

"Assignments. Once your weapons are on line, you will go further your experience. You will be sent to your respective units until we have enough of you for more formal training at the War Academy," said Laminar, impatiently. These two didn't give the impression of being terribly bright, despite having received their basic programming. "Is there a problem?"

"No. I thought we'd stay together, that's all," said Blueshift, glancing at Hammerhead who was scowling now, his pleasure at the idea of possessing functional weapons temporarily dulled.

"That isn't the way works. You are a seeker. What are you going to learn from a ground based tactical unit? And what is he going to learn from mechs who are constantly airborne?" Honestly, what a ridiculous question.

"Does Shockwave know about this?" Hammerhead asked, already suspecting the answer. This explained why Shockwave had acted so happy. He was getting rid of them.

"Yes. Now, enough of this. You have a busy cycle ahead of you, as do I. Dispense with your nonsense and get moving."

XxXxXxXxXxX

"You were not exaggerating when you said he had no experience," said Sunstorm, as he glanced over the little data available on Blueshift.

"No, which is why I want him with someone who is responsible and capable of instructing him in the basics. You will not allow the others in your trine to exert any influence over him, I trust?" Said Cyclonus. It wasn't really a question but more a friendly warning. He remained unimpressed with Flashburn and Turbulence, even with their continuing punishment. As of today, they were charged with guarding Chaar's airspace.

"They have learned from their misadventure, but no, I will not permit them to lead him astray.

"Good."

The doors opened and Stormvolt entered, practically shoving a timid Blueshift in front of her. "Greetings, Cyclonus, Sunstorm. Look who I found."

XxXxX

She came back from Chaar, and after more errands, returned to her office to write up the report on the mine. Standing outside the door of the Air Commander's office was Blueshift. He was obviously uneasy, shifting his weight back and forth and raising a hand to knock and then withdrawing it as if afraid. She was correct in that assessment. To say he was concerned was an understatement. He thought they would send him anywhere but back to the second in command. Their last meeting had not been great. Did he get him in trouble with Megatron too? If Hammerhead were here, it wouldn't be as bad, but Laminar sent him off to a mech named Barricade. He may have stood there all day but a voice startled him.

"Blueshift, what are you doing here?" Asked Stormvolt. It hadn't been that long since she last saw him, but he was much larger. The process was working exactly as Megatron had described. He was obviously uptight about something, though.

"Greetings, ma'am. I am going to have a temporary assignment until I'm sent to the War Academy. Laminar told me to come here."

"Laminar?"

"Yes ma'am. He works for Shockwave."

"Oh. I haven't met him, but that's not important. What sort of assignment?"

"I don't know yet. Air Commander Cyclonus will decide that."

"Yes, he and I are looking forward to evaluating your abilities. Why are you waiting around out here?"

"I- that is…."

"Out with it, soldier." She didn't like to be a hard ass but knew a commanding presence would be apt to move things along. Truth be told, Stormvolt sympathized with him. Cyclonus was scary as hell when he wanted to be and it wasn't hard to imagine what bad scenarios Blueshift was envisioning.

"I am concerned that we inadvertently caused difficulties for both of you with Lord Megatron previously."

"You did nothing of the kind. Lord Megatron is quite reasonable. If he were going to punish anybody it would have been you guys." _Or Shockwave_, she added mentally, not wanting to undermine the mech despite her dislike of him. "If that's all you're worried about, forget it. Let's go present you to Cyclonus."

Blueshift felt slightly better. The femme wasn't particularly stern and seemed almost friendly as long as he didn't hesitate and waste her time, but he remained nervous about what was to come.

XxXxX

Stormvolt left Blueshift standing out in the middle of the floor and walked over to stand off to one side and slightly behind Cyclonus.

"Greetings, Blueshift," said Cyclonus.

"Greetings, Commander," said Blueshift. Hopefully, this would be alright.

"You will come to attention when you address me," said Cyclonus, with both his voice and facial expression showing annoyance.

Blueshift froze, unsure of how to proceed. That was when he noticed the femme, she was staring at him hard and standing up ramrod straight compared to her earlier relaxed posture. He mimicked the pose and hoped for the best.

"Please excuse me, Sir. I have not been instructed in protocol except where Lord Megatron is concerned."

"I see. It is no less than what I should have expected. However, from now on, when you address myself or any of your superiors, you will come to attention. Is that clear?"

"Yes sir," he said, noticing that the femme had gone back to standing the way she was before.

"Very well. Have you received any flight or weapons training?"

"No, Sir. My weapons and antigravity systems have been offline up until two hours ago."

Cyclonus said nothing but gave a disapproving grunt. This was not hopeless, but it set things back.

Stormvolt watched, gauging his reactions. He wasn't particularly hard on Blueshift, but neither was he sympathetic. If they made a spark, barring any input from them, this was what their offspring would be like. And it was likely that Cyclonus would behave similarly with it. Actually, he might expect more and be harder on them. It was difficult to say. She felt mildly bad for the newest 'Con, and while she wouldn't coddle him, there was no harm in offering surreptitious tips.

"Beginning tomorrow, at the start of each cycle you will report to Stormvolt for general flight instruction. After that you will see me for weapons training. Then you will spend the remainder of your day with Sunstorm, putting to use your training and performing whatever tasks he requires. He will also assign you to your temporary quarters and give you a tour of the facilities.

"Yes Sir."

"Do you have any questions?"

"Will any of my lessons be taken with Hammerhead?"

"No. I assigned him to Barricade, the commander of Darkmount's security forces. His role as a Decepticon warrior is entirely different from yours and I advise you to focus on your own function and not concern yourself with temporary alliances," said Cyclonus. Barricade wasn't his first choice, but he was better than the Combaticons. Not only that, but security training would cover most of the essential basics he needed to know and keep him out of the way. Eventually both of these new mechs would fall under the influence of their peers and then the usual seeker/ground based hostilities would commence. Why not get it out of the way now?

"Understood," said Blueshift, already learning and hiding his disappointment.

"Why is your designation Blueshift?" Stormvolt asked.

"I can show you, if you like," he said.

"Proceed."

"I presume it is because I can do this…." They watched as his entire frame went rigid and then suddenly he took a step toward them as the air appeared to wobble and flex and then it was as if he was moving fast and aggressively approaching. All three of them went into a defensive stance when the image wavered and faded and it was obvious that Blueshift was nowhere near.

"I don't understand it completely yet, but it has to do with generating a field that changes light and makes it look like I'm right there when I'm not," said Blueshift, apologetically. When the others prepared to defend themselves, he thought the end was near. That, or at least a beating.

"Interesting," said Cyclonus. "Can you do that in your alt mode?"

"I don't know. I haven't been able to spend much time in it. There's no room to fly where we were. The most I've been airborne was when we first met."

"Sunstorm, he is yours until the next cycle. Do what you like but have him practice that. In combat it would be an invaluable skill," said Cyclonus.

"Yes, Sir," said Sunstorm, maintaining formality in front of the new mech. "This way," he said to Blueshift and the pair left.

"Wow, that is a cool trick," said Stormvolt as soon as they were alone. "If he can do that in flight, no one will be able to shoot him down."

"Indeed," said Cyclonus. "And why did you feel the need to prompt him? Do not think that went unnoticed."

"Hey, it's not his fault no one's told him anything. And I wanted to see if he was smart enough to take a hint."

"It would appear so."

"I don't think he's a bad prospect."

"Nor do I. But this will set back our forces for a bit."

"Yes. But I wonder how they will differ from the ones that come along after the War Academy is up and running again."

"It remains to be seen, although I would think personalized instruction yields better results."

"Oh? Does that mean that our creation could expect such an education?"

"Perhaps. I have considered the matter further and have some proposals."

"Such as?"

"I think it would be for the best if our spark didn't know its origins as is the usual case. However, you and I could still give them our individual attention."

"Because why?"

"If your human creators held positions of great power in your society, for example, don't you think that would have changed your mindset as you were maturing?"

"It's possible."

"It is almost certain. Furthermore, when that information became general knowledge other humans would have granted you special preferences and privileges in an attempt to curry favor with your creators, wouldn't they?"

"Oh yeah. There are people who will try to further their own ends by any means necessary."

"Yes, and then on the opposite end of the situation, other young humans would have done the same but many of them would have given in to petty jealousies and attempted to make your existence much harder, correct?"

"Haters gonna hate."

"What?"

"Yes, kids are bad about being jealous sometimes."

"Would you want to visit this same nonsense upon your own creation?"

"No, but let me get this straight. You have no problems with taking a part in our creation's upbringing, but you don't want them to know that they're ours?"

"Correct."

It wasn't what she had in mind originally, but it made sense. And with Blueshift and others coming under their tutelage it wouldn't appear to be blatant favoritism. Stormvolt had to remind herself that they didn't think or operate like humans. It would be better for everyone in the long run to keep unnecessary attachments to a minimum. It had to make the Decepticons more effective in action to not have anyone to worry about other than a mate or close friend, if that. Family outside those connections didn't exist.

"What do you think?" Cyclonus asked.

"I'm not crazy about it, but I can do it."

"It may be our only opportunity. Once the process is back to normal and the War Academy is operational, there is every possibility that we may never know any future Decepticons we create beyond the initial spark."

"Then we should definitely make the attempt."

"I agree." Cyclonus was relieved. It was a suitable compromise and he was seriously curious about the differences in these newest 'Cons and the ones that would follow. But then all of this discussion was pointless if they were unable to produce a spark. However, that felt different too. He wasn't as apprehensive as before.

Stormvolt said nothing, but she tenuously felt his relief. Ah. This must be what was holding them back. If he were confident in how matters were going to proceed, he would undoubtedly relax. And maybe they'd been trying too hard. But somehow, the vibe between them felt different now and in a good way. The signal was more in synch and in tune than before. Either it would happen or it wouldn't , but if force to make a bet on the matter, she'd lean hard toward "would".


	57. Some Things Never Change

Author's note: This one was more fun to write than the last couple of chapters. The domestic parts kind of bore me but I thought it was necessary to the story. But now we're getting back to the good stuff. Feel free to comment and thanks for reading. Transformers belongs to Hasbro and Takara, not me.

A Blessing and A Curse  
By: Quetzal1

Chapter 56  
Some Things Never Change

XxXxX

Megatron maintained a stony expression throughout the discussion despite wanting to openly smirk at the foolish human peering back at him from the monitor. He was young and already getting heavy. That feature, coupled with a receding hairline gave Shawn Berger, Jr. a remarkable resemblance to his late father, a former ally. Humans were vengeance minded creatures, not unlike Decepticons in that regard, but often they did not have the fortitude to go through with it when the opportunity presented itself. Often, but not always. He did not trust this human, but was willing to negotiate with him for what he wanted. First however, they would meet face to face which would maintain secrecy and also allow Soundwave to read the flesh creature's feeble mind in order to discern if he was on their side or if this was an ill conceived plot to get revenge for his father. Megatron was aware that after their plot to destroy the Autobots and take over Earth was foiled, Shawn Berger, Senior was turned over to the human authorities for his part in it and sentenced to prison after an extremely long court battle. Human law had no provisions for dealing with alien life forms, after all. While in prison, he succumbed to one human malady or another and ceased functioning.

Even after all the money spent on attorneys and fines and reparations, Berger, Sr.'s fortune was still vast, and upon becoming old and educated enough, his offspring took control of it and brought it to a state beyond what his father had ever conceived.

"All right, Megatron. I will come to Cybertron," said Berger.

"No, what you will do is travel to the coordinates I send to you later. From that location, Blast Off will bring you here. I do not want the Autobots to know of your presence."

"Fine, but let's get one thing straight. If you try anything funny and I don't get back to Earth healthy and all in one piece, my people will alert the authorities who will then notify the Autobots."

Now Megatron resisted the urge to scowl. How dare this insignificant worm threaten him! But he was too practiced at subterfuge to allow such a pathetic warning to force him into betraying any weakness. Even if the Autobots knew about their meeting, they wouldn't know what it was about. He simply didn't want to draw their attention and make the situation more complicated than it would already be.

"Why Mr. Berger, what makes you think you have anything to fear from us? I have no wish to harm an ally."

"Please, Megatron. If you had a mother, you'd sell her out in a second to get what you wanted. Don't think I've forgotten about how you lied to my father."

"And yet you are willing to associate with us, just like him."

"Not 'just like him.' He was a fool to trust you. I won't make that same mistake."

Oh, how pleasant it would be to make this loathsome creature a test subject in Shockwave's laboratory. Threats and insults and now he seemed to think he had outmaneuvered him. Patience. He would suffer this nonsense for now, but the day would arrive when Mr. Berger 2.0 discovered the error of his ways.

"Caution is never ill advised. Monitor the frequency I advised of. The coordinates will be transmitted in parts over a period of days and the program we gave you previously will decode them for you."

"I look forward to meeting with you," said Berger, Jr. with a smirk of his own.

"Megatron out," said the mech, not extending the courtesy of a goodbye. The monitor went blank as the connection was terminated. Megatron leaned back in his chair and considered the discussion further. Greed would ultimately be the undoing of that human. Greed or overconfidence or Megatron himself. First he would get everything into place and then, when the conditions were right, the arrogant flesh creature would learn a hard and final lesson. It was unclear how that would transpire but the end result was a certainty. How annoying to have to tolerate such insolence from a lesser being and defer his vengeance. As he contemplated future payback, an uncomfortable sensation swept over him. If it were happening to him directly, it would have been extremely painful. Megatron sat up and then leaned forward. It felt like something was making a halfhearted effort to pry his spark loose from its housing. None of his systems showed a malfunction warning. That left one option. He blanked his vision and reached out with his mind. Ahhhh. He should have known. It was peculiar to experience these things second-hand, but it allowed him to avoid much that he didn't want. Interesting. Their ranks were about to expand by one more and all it took was some minor manipulation to bring it about.

Soon, the prying sensation faded and he felt normal again. Megatron tapped a button on the console and the image of Shockwave appeared. The mech was seldom away from his workstation when not actively attending to projects in the laboratories.

"Greetings, my Lord," said Shockwave.

"Greetings Shockwave."

"Is there a problem?"

"No, far from it. A new spark is going to be delivered to the protoform laboratory soon. You will see to it immediately instead of putting it into storage. And I want you to handle it personally, not one of your underlings."

"Yes, Sir." There was much Megatron neglected to tell him, but he was proud that he wanted him to do it and no one else. He had many questions but didn't ask. Most of what he wanted to know he would find out in short order. "Do you require anything else?"

"Not yet, but I fully expect more instructions to be forthcoming in regards to this spark."

"I see."

"Do not fail me, Shockwave."

"Never, my Lord."

Megatron nodded and then cut the communication. This would be an entertaining series of events.

XxXxXxXxXxX

Cyclonus held the containment chamber gently as he and Stormvolt stared raptly at the contents. The spark was a pale violet color and bolts of light flickered brightly inside it.

"Wow. And we can't do this again for another year?" Stormvolt asked, not that she was in any hurry. Losing a portion of your spark energy was painful and, though she didn't know it yet, left one feeling at a low charge for days.

"No. It takes considerable time for a spark to recover fully. To make another attempt too soon is dangerous, potentially deadly," Cyclonus replied, not taking his optics off the chamber. Therein was the life force for a new Decepticon. Perhaps one that would change their history.

"Too bad we have to turn it over to Shockwave." She would never like that idea.

"Only for the present. If Megatron allows us to enact our plan, hopefully Shockwave will not have much influence over it."

"It."

"What?"

"We keep calling it 'it'. I wonder which it will turn out to be."

"In either case, I think it will be impressive."

"Yeah."

"Unfortunately, we should deliver it to the laboratory now. These portable containment chambers cannot support it indefinitely."

"After that I will be ready for a serious recharge. It's a good thing we have tomorrow off except for Blueshift's training."

"Agreed," said Cyclonus, struggling to his feet and then extending a hand to the femme.

They stood together, once again staring at the containment chamber.

"All right. Let's get this over with."

XxXxXxXxXxX

Two weeks had elapsed and the meeting was due to take place that day. As far as their intelligence sources could surmise, the Autobots remained ignorant of the visiting human. Megatron sat on a raised platform above the main floor in a shadowy room that was used for formal meetings with off world dignitaries. Not that he considered the human a dignitary. No, but he would appeal to his overblown sense of importance. There was an enormous table on the platform and on the wall behind it was a huge Decepticon emblem lit from below, giving it a more sinister appearance.

Nothing in the room was scaled for anything smaller than a Cybertronian, and this wasn't by accident. Ordinarily, they made accommodations for a visitor who wasn't their size, but not today. That fleshling needed to see a demonstration of how puny it was, putting it in no position to make threats. Megatron sat at the head of the table, facing the doorway, waiting. It wasn't a long one.

"Blast Off approaches," said Soundwave, who stood slightly behind Megatron and to his right.

"Excellent. I want to know each thought that enters that pathetic insect's mind. Make an accurate accounting of them."

"Acknowledged," said Soundwave. A few seconds later the double doors slid open.

"Greetings, Lord Megatron. I bring you your guest," said Blast Off holding his cupped hands in front of him. Berger's head was barely visible peeking over the top.

"Bring him to me," said Megatron, purposefully adding an edge of menace to his voice. Blast Off didn't know if he had already displeased their leader or if the hostile attitude was directed toward the human, he merely wanted to get this over with and be gone. Only recently had Vortex and Brawl begun to return to normal and he had no desire to end up like them. He quickly strode forward, climbed the short staircase, and deposited the human carefully on the tabletop, backing away one step afterward, awaiting further instruction.

"You are dismissed for now. I shall contact you when it is time to return our guest."

Soundwave felt the sense of unease in the human lessen slightly at the mention of being returned.

"Yes, Sir," said Blast Off, snapping to attention and then quickly leaving the room.

"Quite a place you've got here, Megatron," said Berger, taking in his surroundings and not sounding entirely impressed. Soundwave noted that the human wondered briefly what it would be like to be in charge of such a facility and that if it were his, it would be much grander and more brightly lit.

"Yes. I trust your trip was pleasant?" Not that he cared in the least.

"It was fine, but let's get down to business, shall we?"

"Of course." Soundwave was never able to read Megatron like he could the majority of the others, but strong emotions were often clear to him. And right now, he knew that already the over-ambitious human was unknowingly walking an extraordinarily fine line.

Megatron sat down in a large chair at the head of the table and stared at Berger, waiting for him to begin. There was nowhere for him to sit except on the table, which was the same as sitting on the floor. The human suspected that this affront to his dignity wasn't an accident and was slightly peeved, but his greed wasn't going to allow him to comment and perhaps ruin the deal. Instead he chose to pace as he spoke, as if making a presentation at a board meeting.

"I can get you what you want," he said, deliberately not speaking of the item by name as already was established. You never knew who was listening in. He shot Soundwave a mistrustful glance as he thought about it.

"I know you can, but in the correct amount?"

"Easily."

"And I mean quality items, not whatever derelicts you might happen upon."

"Yes, but we will need to space the deliveries out slowly. If we go too fast, it will raise suspicions. Not only that, but I have to take many precautions to get your merchandise. You aren't the only one taking a huge risk here."

"I am aware of the risks, Berger, and I have ways to minimize them."

"Such as?"

"As you know, any shipments to Cybertron must leave via Autobot City, allowing those meddlers to inspect the contents to ensure there is nothing in violation of the treaty."

"Yes."

"I have already devised a way to counter that."

"Which is?"

"Specially constructed shipping containers that will shield the true cargo from any prying by the Autobots in addition to protecting it from the hazards of space travel."

"What makes them so special?" Berger asked, skeptically.

"That is not your concern."

"It's going to be like that, is it? If you're mistaken and get caught, we will completely disavow any knowledge of it."

"Undoubtedly." Megatron didn't bother to point out that if indeed they were caught there would be plenty of aspects of the situation that would point to outside assistance. The human was a fool, but he must realize that too.

"I think we both know the potential consequences, let's talk about payment," said Berger.

"I believe we agreed upon energon."

"Yes, but now that I've had a better chance to assess the situation, I want double the amount…and something else."

_Exactly like your creator_, Megatron thought. "And what, pray tell, is that?" These greedy, grasping creatures were tiresome. Providing the energon wouldn't be a problem, in fact he had already expected this and planned accordingly. But what was the 'something else?'

"I would like you to turn over someone to our custody. Do you have any political prisoners or convicts? Somebody…disposable like that?" As soon as the words were out of his mouth, he knew he had gone too far. Megatron's optics, which had been glowing mellowly, suddenly flared to bright life.

"What did you say?" He asked in a soft, dangerous voice.

"Never mind, energon will be fine." Not once in the past had he backed down in negotiations, but if it were ever going to happen, now would be ideal.

Soundwave knew exactly why the human wanted 'somebody disposable." On Earth the race had begun to find ways to use energon. Most of the large energy concerns were busily working on the issue. It was a tight competition and Berger wanted an edge. What better way to get it than to create technology for human use by reverse engineering it from an alien robot? He relayed the information to Megatron who already guessed why the human would make such a demand and was dangerously outraged.

"You want me to turn over a Cybertronian to you so that you can experiment on them as though they were no better than one of your lab rats? How dare you!" He slammed his fists down on either side of the cowering human.

"Calm down, Megatron. I-," he was grabbed roughly and brought up to eye level before he was able to finish the sentence.

"Silence! I have endured all the idiocy from you that I am going to take. Listen closely.

I am going to provide energon to you in the amount agreed upon earlier. In return _you_ will provide what _I_ want. Is that understood?"

"You hypocrite," Burger managed to gasp out as Megatron's grip squeezed him to within an inch of his life. Soundwave was astounded. The insect had no idea of how perilously close it was to termination.

It took tremendous force of will for Megatron to refrain from crushing Berger and spilling his guts all over the table. He wanted to, very badly, but he needed this vermin for now.

"I care nothing for your moralizing. And I am sure that your hands are not clean either. I should destroy you for your arrogance but I will give you another opportunity. I suggest you do not waste it. Now, let us try again. You will provide what I want, correct?"

Berger was red-faced from being nearly crushed and also from rage. His eyes were trying to go teary, he was livid and utterly helpless to do anything about it other than submit. He had the upper hand! This was not the way it was supposed to play out. "Yes," he finally said.

"Good. I knew you would see reason," Megatron said, relaxing his grip. He deposited the man onto the table and watched him struggle to regain his composure and dignity.

_He can't do this to me! I have the advantage, damn it. I could bring down all kinds of trouble on his head if I wanted to. He should be trying to stay in MY good graces._ Berger's mind spun with the injustice of it all, not realizing that his rant was being sent directly to his adversary.

"I can do whatever I want, and as far as advantages go, you have none. You live only because I allow it." He raised his free hand to head off a feeble attempt at argument from Berger. "And don't think your ship is safe, either. At this very minute a group of my deadliest warriors is prepared to blast it to oblivion and erase any evidence that it was ever here. No one aboard would ever have the chance to alert anyone on Earth of your predicament." It wasn't a bluff. Scourge and the Sweeps had long ago contacted Soundwave to advise that they had it under surveillance and were ready to act as soon as Megatron gave the command.

Pitilessly, Soundwave watched the human squirm under the realization that the entire situation was far out of his control.

Megatron continued. "Since we have such a wonderful working relationship, I will have you taken back to your spacecraft so you can return home and begin work on the project as soon as I order it. But before I do, I want to make you aware of a certain condition, incase you get any ideas about crying to the Autobots. Do you recall when I transmitted the coordinates for your ship to meet Blast Off? Berger nodded.

"Good. That transmission also carried what you would think of as a virus. It immediately spread to your entire computer network worldwide. We now possess a copy of all that the network contains and it is updated regularly. If I choose I can give this information to the human authorities. There is plenty of material there to guarantee that you, like your father, would face a lengthy incarceration. I know you don't want that. I could also distribute all of your research data to your business competitors. Somehow I suspect that possibility troubles you more. And don't get any ideas about trying to remove the virus. At the first sign of tampering it will completely eradicate all the information it has come into contact with. By now I would guess that it has infiltrated all your back up systems as well."

Berger was furious. Megatron had him at every turn and there was absolutely nothing to be done about it except cooperate and hope for the best. That was the first sensible idea Soundwave had gotten from him during the entire meeting.

"You maintain your end of the bargain and I will do likewise. There is no reason this cannot work to our mutual benefit," said Megatron in a friendly tone. "Soundwave, summon Blast Off to return our guest to his ship."

"As you command," replied Soundwave, as he transmitted Berger's feelings of despair.

XxXxXxXxXxX

Cyclonus was silent outwardly, but inside he radiated pride. No one except for Stormvolt knew this and she felt the same way as they stood side by side peering through the one-way glass into a large room. Inside, a group of small mechs was wrestling with each other playfully or were engaged in other games of that sort. They were similar, in that they were undersized and ill defined as to what their exact final forms would be, but they were evolved enough that it was obvious which were air based and which were ground based. One of them was already sporting large protrusions on either shoulder that made his minders suspect that they had another tank for their army. Another of them was roughly the same size as the tank mech but was definitely beginning to develop wings on either side. He was wrestling with another 'bot. The larger of the two grapplers was the one that had captured the attention on the other side of the glass.

"Except for that one over in the corner, he's a tiny bit larger than the others, huh?" Said Stormvolt.

"Yes. I wonder if that is indicative of his future size or merely an anomaly."

The mech managed to force his opponent down and then fell on him with an utter lack of grace. It reminded the femme of watching a pack of puppies but she didn't say this to Cyclonus.

"And there is high potential for his combat skills," Cyclonus said. He was very much looking forward to the day when their creation developed enough to transform. Then the real education would commence.

As always, Cyclonus's interests leaned toward the stone cold practical. Stormvolt understood that and she agreed that the little guy was already showing potential, but she was interested in more inconsequential matters at that point. The big thing was his designation. Did he know what his name was yet? All Decepticons named themselves, with the exceptions of Cyclonus, Scourge and the Sweeps, and they were a special case. Sometimes a name related to one's abilities and sometimes it did not. This piece of information was what she wanted most right now. Patience. They would know that and more eventually. A green blinking number in the corner of her vision indicated the alarm from her chronometer.

"I have to get going. Blueshift is getting an extra lesson today," said Stormvolt.

"Yes. I must leave soon myself," said Cyclonus. He stood there ramrod straight, arms tucked behind him, and with a pleased expression on his faceplate as he gazed through the window.

"Okay. See you later."

Cyclonus looked at her and nodded in acknowledgment. Right now he was as happy as he was on the battlefield. Well, almost, but this was a very close second. All was as it should be, given the circumstances, and he fully intended to enjoy it as long as it lasted.

XxXxXxXxXxX

Shockwave was speechless at the declaration. He'd been expecting something big ever since Megatron hinted at a secret plan weeks ago, but this was beyond anything he had conceived. It was the kind of work that appealed to his analytical mind but it was dangerous too. They were taking a massive risk. And as pleasurable and fascinating as it would be, he still felt obligated to mention his concerns as soon as he collected his thoughts.

"Lord Megatron, are you certain that this is the best course of action right now?"

"You doubt me, Shockwave?"

"Not at all. But humans are undependable, and what if through their blundering the Autobots find out what we are doing?"

"They won't, not if we take all the necessary precautions."

"We can use the laboratory adjacent to where we store your backup chassis. That area is the most secure and no one knows about it except for you and I and that femme. Can she be trusted to stay quiet?"

"She has no idea of how large the facility is. As far as she knows all it is used for is what she saw when she assisted you. The only way she will know what is taking place there now is if you or I tell her."

"I see."

"Jealousy does not become you at all," said Megatron with an amused grin.

"I am not jealous of anything that used to be a human."

"Nor should you be. But despite the former humanity, I wish I had more like her."

"Very well. I will make preparations. It may take longer because I am working without assistance." It was obvious to Megatron that Shockwave did not agree with having more like the femme.

"I will drop by occasionally to review your progress," said Megatron, rising from a chair near the door.

"As you wish."

Megatron came forward and placed a hand on the other mech's shoulder and squeezing it lightly. "There is no one else I would trust with such an important project, Shockwave."

"Thank you Sir, I will not disappoint you."

"I know," said Megatron, removing his hand from Shockwave's shoulder and turning toward the door. It was laughably easy. Even without a conventional faceplate to look at and gauge reaction, he knew what effect that simple gesture had. It would be plenty to curb any irrational, petty enviousness. For now.

Shockwave watched Megatron leave, still feeling the weight of his hand upon him. The door closed and it snapped him back to the present. As always he would do his utmost to please Megatron, but the idea of that seeker finding such favor with their leader rankled. She was inferior. No creature with organic origins could ever hope to be on a par with a Cybertronian. Maybe one day the opportunity would arise that would allow him to eradicate her from their midst. He would watch for it patiently as he continued to serve.


	58. Lull

Author's note: Thanks for reading. As always, it's appreciated. Transformers belongs to Hasbro and Takara, but not me.

A Blessing and A Curse  
By: Quetzal1

Chapter 57  
Lull

XxXxX

"Today, I have a new challenge for you," Stormvolt said to Blueshift, who was silent and watching her with interest.

"It's a navigation exercise. I will transmit to you a list of coordinates you need to visit in the order listed. These are checkpoints. At each checkpoint you will find one of these," she said, holding up a shiny chrome ring that would be equal in circumference to a Frisbee if the toy were scaled up to their size. She tossed it to Blueshift so that he could become familiar with it. They were in an area of Cybertron that had yet to be reclaimed from ruin. In addition to practicing navigation it allowed him to become more familiar with their part of the planet.

"I want you to collect each ring and bring them here. If you can navigate properly you should be able to complete the task within the hour I've allotted." The coordinates were transmitted internally to the mech, who was eager to be off. "Get going."

"Yes, Ma'am," said Blueshift, handing the ring back to her and then promptly leaping into the air and transforming. He was much more graceful at it than he had been. When his engine noise had died away, she turned and looked down at her newest pupil. He was estimated to be at only a quarter of the way to his full growth, but he was clearly a flyer. What type of flyer specifically was the question. He was more streamlined and low profile than a standard Tetrajet such as Blueshift. His full size was as yet unknown but Stormvolt was pretty certain that he would be a lot larger than her. At roughly only a fourth of his final size, he already stood higher than her knees. His wings showed a distinct forward sweep like Cyclonus's but they weren't at such an extreme angle. Was he some kind of bomber? They would have to wait and see. Meanwhile, he needed to learn about flight.

"Today we will begin your flight instruction, Number 3." He still didn't know his designation and they had to call him something. Since he was the third newest Decepticon they went with that.

"I'm ready, Ma'am," he said. It was surprising to hear an adult voice come out of such a small chassis if you weren't used to it. It was low and would undoubtedly become menacing when he was angry. Yeah, he reminded her a lot of Cyclonus.

"Good, I like your enthusiasm. You see that abandoned tower down there? I want you to perform a standard takeoff, you can see where I've laid out a runway here, and then go down to that tower, circle it twice and get back here as fast as you can."

"What is a standard takeoff?"

"Oh. Right. I forget that there's a lot you haven't learned yet. Watch. I'll go first."

She transformed at the end of the runway and executed a normal takeoff, rather than leaping upward like Blueshift, the way she normally did. 3 didn't transform that quickly and she was afraid he would fall and damage himself before he got going, similar to the way she had after her change. Upon clearing the ground and retracting landing gear, she hit the afterburners and tore off to the tower, making two tight circles around it before coming back to the runway and landing in the fashion of standard aircraft before transforming back.

"That's what I want you to do."

"I see," he said, and walked to the end of the runway, standing there a moment as if working up the courage. He stared into the distance in the direction of the tower and then made the transformation. Engines started and in their rumble she heard an odd note. Stormvolt quickly scanned him and confirmed what she suspected; nuclear powered turbines. He was like Cyclonus in more ways than the obvious. Not that it was a bad thing, not at all. It would certainly make it easier to fit in. It would be nice to eventually recognize a couple of her own traits in him, though.

The little engines wound up to a shriek and 3 launched himself down the makeshift runway, rising from the ground about halfway along its length and gracefully climbing into the starry sky.

_Not bad_, the femme thought. His speed wasn't impressive but that was likely due to size and inexperience. Her vision zoomed in on him as he approached the remains of the tower. The first circuit went well. It was loose and slow but successful. During the second one, there was a problem. He tried to turn tighter and as a result had his wings at an almost vertical attitude. He wasn't moving fast enough to maintain lift and started to fall. Fortunately, he was high enough to make a recovery at a point halfway to the ground before returning to the starting point and landing.

"What happened out there?" Said Stormvolt. She nearly blew a fuse when he began to fall.

"I am not sure," said 3, honestly baffled.

"Do you know anything at all about the physics of flight?"

"Physics?"

"I see. How about we try a new procedure and continue your education with ground school first?"

XxXxXxXxXxX

It wasn't necessary to conduct all meetings in person, particularly when the main details of a matter were already hammered out. It saved time and reduced the nuisances for all involved. That didn't mean that Megatron enjoyed them. Once again, here he was, forced to get permission from lesser machines for business that did not concern them in the slightest. _Ah, but it is only a temporary state_, he reminded himself. He sat before a giant monitor in the command center. The image of Optimus Prime was on the screen.

"Greetings, Megatron," he said.

"Greetings, Prime."

"To what do I owe this contact?"

"I wish to implement another of the agreements in out treaty."

"Which one?"

"The one that provides for a Decepticon ambassador on Earth. Cybertron has a trade agreement with them and we want to begin negotiations for various materials."

Despite the mask he wore it was easy to see that Optimus was surprised by the request. Megatron hated Earth and every living thing on it. Why would he even consider the idea of trade there? On the other hand, their situation still wasn't comfortable, and perhaps Megatron realized that he had to compromise. Unlikely. Too much had happened between them for him to sincerely believe in his spark that Megatron would cooperate with creatures he considered inferior without an underhanded scheme in progress.

"What materials?" Optimus asked, and noticed Megatron's scowl at the inquiry. "You know that the treaty stipulates that any shipments from Earth have to be inspected prior to departure. We will know what it is sooner or later."

"We are trading energon for various Earth metals and alloys."

"For what purpose?"

"There is nothing that requires me to tell you that," said Megatron, flatly. He didn't care about the metal but if he were too pleasant and accommodating about the matter, it would raise suspicion. "No doubt your spies will find out anyway," he added, just to see if the accusation garnered a reaction.

"You are correct in that there are no rules regarding usage," said Optimus, ignoring the spy remark. "Very well. Send us the pertinent information and we will begin preparations."

"I will have it to you within the cycle. Megatron out."

The screen showed the Decepticon emblem for five seconds and then went blank. The exchange gave the Autobot leader an uneasy feeling and he knew from experience not to ignore it. Everyone back on Earth in Autobot City would need to pay close attention to the new "ambassador" and their business with the humans. As much as he wished for harmony between their factions, he knew it was either highly improbable or else it would take many, many years for it to happen. He wasn't confident in a positive outcome.

XxXxXxXxXxX

Cyclonus crouched slightly and waited. Twenty feet away, a half-sized mech mirrored his actions and began circling. They moved slowly, sizing each other up before the smaller of the two dove in for the attack. He was knocked backward and slid a short distance, coming to a stop against a rock, the dusty surface of Chaar rising into the air all around them.

"Get up and try again," said Cyclonus patiently. Number 3 was showing a great deal of promise as a warrior. For weeks now he had received the specialized training and proved to be an ideal student. Everything he and Stormvolt told him was absorbed and put into practice immediately. There was no question that he would perform wonderfully when the War Academy was functional again. And that was progressing, too. The Constructicons were renovating the old facility and adding in advanced equipment. It would be much better than before but was a long way from ready.

They squared off again. 3 attacked in the same fashion as before but dodged the counterattack and successfully landed two hits before being knocked away again.

"That was good. I think you have earned a short break," said Cyclonus.

"Yes, Sir," replied 3. "I would like to spend it in flight, if I may."

"Permission granted, but return within ten minutes."

3 didn't waste any of his short break with a reply but instead ran a few steps then leapt into the air and transformed, flying vertically upward.

Cyclonus watched as 3 flew around the area. He performed lazy barrel rolls and loops but also put on bursts of speed and threw in tactical maneuvers for good measure. He loved to fly and it was obvious. Cyclonus understood exactly where that particular trait came from. And it wasn't the only similarity to his mate that he noticed. 3 also possessed a thoughtful manner much like Stormvolt's, but without the hesitation. And speaking of her, Cyclonus's keen optics spotted an aircraft inbound from a great altitude.

XxXxX

Ah, there they were. Stormvolt knew that Cyclonus was bringing 3 to Chaar for his training exercises today. It timed out nicely. They'd had to reschedule his flight lesson because of her need to turn over control of the mining project to Sawtooth. Megatron said that her efforts were better spent on other tasks, although he didn't specify what those tasks were. Whatever. She was finally free of Chaar. Sawtooth was more than competent and he wasn't abusive to the Minicons. He might not like them as well as she did, but at least he wasn't mean. And he didn't mind living on Chaar, especially with all the recent improvements. Aside from sending reports and going to see Megatron once a week, it was an unbelievably easy assignment. Maybe that's what he liked about it all. It beat the heavy labor involved with cleaning up Cybertron. It wasn't her problem any longer and it gave her a buoyant feeling. Sure, there was another job waiting in the shadows, but until it was sprung on her, she wouldn't worry about it.

Radar alerted her to the presence of another aircraft below and she knew Cyclonus's proximity without needing sensors to advise her. Here was a wonderful chance to find out if 3 could put into practice what he had learned from her at this point. Stormvolt made an adjustment and began a steep, fast dive toward the small Decepticon. His radar didn't have full range yet, but as Cyclonus had instructed her to use her sensors and radar continuously, so had she passed that suggestion on to 3. He should know she was there before she got too close, even with partial functionality.

Her airspeed rose as she descended, and thus far there was no reaction. She wouldn't hit him, but would pass extremely close, enough to make the point that if she were an enemy, he would be dead. The distance between them shrank quickly. It was then she saw him begin rapid evasive movements that caused her to have to readjust her course for pursuit. Stormvolt fell in behind him. If this were real combat, blasting him wouldn't be hard for her, but they hadn't gotten to advanced evasion yet.

"Good job. How close was I before you noticed?"

"I detected you at 1.5 miles away," said 3.

"Ah, so your radar has improved."

"Yes ma'am."

"Excellent. I am going to meet with Cyclonus now. As you were," said Stormvolt.

She snap rolled away and circled back to where Cyclonus stood, watching.

"How about that mech of ours," she said, transforming and using antigravity to gently land.

"Indeed. He will be impressive one day."

"How's the combat training going."

"It is progressing as I expected. Soon, I will have him spar with Blueshift. It will sharpen both their abilities."

"You don't think the size difference will be an issue?"

"No. And in real world applications, one will face a larger opponent occasionally. Further, one should not discount an opponent merely because they are smaller."

"True."

"Has control of the mines been transferred?"

"Yes, it's all Sawtooth's now. I am free until something else comes up, and you know it will."

"With competence comes responsibility," said Cyclonus.

"Don't I know it."

"Would you care to see a demonstration of his abilities?"

"Yes, I believe I would," said Stormvolt.

"His break will be over shortly."

"You give him breaks? Are you going soft?"

"I do not wish to damage his systems before they have fully generated," said Cyclonus, unperturbed at her teasing.

"I am curious to see what he can do with weapons."

"As am I. At full size I think his destructive potential will be considerable."

They watched as 3 flew in another wide loop before diving to the ground and transforming, landing directly in front of Cyclonus as the break ended.

"What is next, Commander?" He asked, in deadly serious fashion. Stormvolt wondered if he would lighten up as he got older, but as of yet there was no indication of it.

"We will continue where we left off, Number 3."

"That is not my designation any longer, Sir," he said.

"No? Then what is it?"

The small mech turned to include Stormvolt in the discussion. "Ma'am, I know you have taken an extreme interest in this, so I wanted to advise you in person."

"Don't keep me in suspense," she said. Yes!

"No Ma'am. My designation as of the beginning of this cycle… is Hurricane."

Both she and Cyclonus said nothing but stood together looking down at him.

"That is just..." Stormvolt began.

"Perfect," Cyclonus finished.

"It is? Why?" Hurricane asked.

"Um, because it, uh…," she said, caught off guard by his question.

"Because it is a name that will strike fear into the sparks of our enemies," said Cyclonus, clenching his fist in the air.

"I hope I can live up to both of your expectations," he said.

"We have all confidence you will," said Stormvolt.

"Very well, let us return to the business at hand," said Cyclonus.

"Hang on a minute," said Stormvolt, walking away from them a short distance. Someone was contacting her.

The mechs watched as she returned. "Unfortunately, I'll have to see this on another day. Megatron has requested my presence."

"Business of the Decepticon Empire is always the top priority," said Cyclonus. He wasn't disappointed, because he truly believed it.

"Yes. I will speak with you later," she said to Cyclonus. "Hurricane."

"Ma'am," he replied, bowing respectfully. A superior did not have to acknowledge him at all in a situation such as this and he was pleased to receive the small courtesy. Though he did not show much emotion, he was extremely pleased to have been selected for this experimental training problem. They could have chosen any of the others, but for reasons known only to them, they had picked him.

Stormvolt launched herself skyward, reflecting that Megatron sometimes had the worst timing. Maybe he wanted to see her to ask about the mines. If not, she hoped whatever it was he had in mind was easy.


End file.
